The Unlucky Twin
by Paulzies
Summary: 'Karatachi Yagura vs. Karatachi Kagura'. Everything started from a single bad draw. But I suppose things didn't turn out that badly in the end.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story by me! I love naruto, and I definitely need to write a good naruto fic. Gallant Jinta has been scrapped, and I feel that this will be much better! Don't worry though, Fallen Messiah won't be abandoned.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

They called me prodigy. A once-in-a-generation genius.

They were wrong, because there were two of us.

We were twins, identical in appearance and ability.

In the Academy, we lost to no one one but each other. The others looked at us with hatred, fear, and jealousy in their eyes. We paid them little attention. The views of the weak did not matter to us.

They moved us up the grades, and we were scheduled to become genin after two short years at the unprecedented age of five. The ages of the other candidates were all in the double digits. They did not like us - they felt intimidated, even if they would never admit it. But they were not stupid and kept their hands to themselves. They knew a lost battle when they saw one.

We breezed through the trials of the Academy, tied first in all aspects. It was an open secret that we were slated to become the leaders of the next generation of Kirigakure Shinobi. That theory became solidified when the Sandaime Mizukage came down personally to watch our graduation ceremony.

Glorified murder, as we called it. That was the process of becoming a Shinobi here. Killing a classmate was a rite of passage for anyone that donned the symbol of the Hidden Mist. It exposed us to the harsh realities of the Shinobi world before we went out, and crushed any last remnants of naivety and immaturity any candidate might have had.

And then, the first match was announced.

The whole arena went silent.

 _Karatachi Yagura vs. Karatachi Kagura._

I would be fighting him, my own twin brother. We understood from the very start that there was a chance of this happening, no matter how slim the possibility. We had even anticipated it, and discussed things the night before. We had come to a conclusion fast.

 _'No hard feelings, okay?'_

Yagura's face remained neutral. Above me, the other candidates in the gallery broke out in smiles when they realized none of them would be dying to the 'Devil Twins' today, as we had come to be known as.

I let out a small sigh. What a shame. One of Kiri's brightest would be dying today. An utter waste of potential and talent. No doubt if we lived to survive we would have achieved S-rank classification sooner or later. With the Third Shinobi War in full swing, Kiri needed every decent Shinobi it could get.

The examiners above broke out into discussion. They had not expected this; an oversight of theirs. Clearly they shared my concerns. The two of us could have wiped out every other candidate in the room. It was uneconomical. It was inefficient. It was just... not smart. As they argued, Yagura and I stared at each other. There were no tears, not even a hint of sadness. Only a respectful nod as we ran through each others strengths and weaknesses in our minds and began to form our own respective strategies.

Blood ties and familial bonds meant nothing in Kiri. We recognized talent and strength alone. This was not Konoha, where clan abilities and Bloodline Limits were an automatic key to success. Only those who were worthy became Shinobi here.

"Enough." We looked up. The Sandaime was standing up and looking at us now. We knelt. "The match will proceed. Luck is just important a factor to a Shinobi as skill. Clearly one of you brothers here has failed in that regard."

Luck? Ill-fortune was nothing more than an excuse the unprepared and the incapable gave when they failed. But I held my tongue, because talking back to a Kage was never a good idea.

"Yes, Mizukage-sama," we said together.

"Begin," he commanded.

We fought.

* * *

The fight was close.

Too close to call it a proper victory or defeat.

Yagura was standing across me, clutching a bleeding arm. He was in terrible shape. His childlike and flawless face was nearly cleaved into two, and his left eyeball dangled out where its socket had split down his cheek. Blood spilled out the wound, and his whole body was peppered with gashes and cuts. He would bleed to death in just under ten minutes.

Too bad I had a kunai stuck in my chest.

I lost the ability to breathe. One of my lungs had collapsed; the other was filled with blood. My vision became blurry and black spots started to blink in and out of existence. My whole body began to suffer from oxygen deprivation and my legs crumbled from weakness.

I tumbled backwards and slammed into the ground face-up. The examiners and candidates were watching me with morbid curiosity. Was this the end of the match?

Of course it was. I couldn't even move anymore. By the skin of his teeth, Yagura had beat me. He used to joke he was stronger than me because his ten-minute head-start in the world gave him an edge over me.

I would have laughed if I could. Instead blood spilled out my mouth in red frothy bubbles.

Bad luck indeed.

"Winner, Karatachi Yagura," somebody announced.

I was losing my hearing. Or maybe there was just no applause.

Either way, the last sensation I felt before blacking out was somebody carrying me.

Damn, I knew I should have spiked his drink in the morning.

* * *

I knew I was somehow still alive when I felt warmth.

Did the match not end?

Even opening my eyes took substantial effort. When I had managed to achieve such a simple task, I was stunned. I was not alone. The Mizukage was leaning over me, his long hair tied into a ponytail behind him. His hands hovered above my stab wound, green chakra covering his palms and fingers. I immediately recognized the signature technique of Medical Ninjutsu.

"I did not know you knew iryo-ninjutsu," I whispered hoarsely. Speaking was painful, but my curiosity took priority over what little health concerns I had.

"It will be our little secret then," he chuckled.

I could not tell if he was being serious or if he was joking. The bigger question was, why share it with me? I was supposed to be dead.

"You look confused," he said as he closed the wound.

My airway felt clear. I could breathe without a problem now.

"That's because I am. Was it not supposed to be a death match? I lost. I should be dead. Yet here you are healing me, Mizukage-sama?"

"You did lose. And you did. Karatachi Kagura died today. That much is true."

"I... do not understand." I was trying to wrap my head around what the Mizukage just said. Was he covering my death? Did that mean that... I could live?

"Wipe that hopeful expression of your face," he said sternly, "you are most going to die."

How careless of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. "I apologize, Mizukage-sama. I did not mean to get my hopes up. But I would appreciate if you could explain that last statement. Why heal me if I am going to die?"

He paused for a while. He was thinking about whether or not to answer me. Finally, he sighed. "I saw it on your face during the battle. You didn't want to die that way, did you? A pointless and fruitless death. Your training and talent wasted. A potential asset for Kiri gone down the drain because he pulled the short straw."

I nodded.

"Many of us feel the same way. You are too capable to die such a stupid death. The other failures did not even come close to the promise you showed. So you can live for another few weeks, Karatachi Kagura. And you can die serving Kiri in earnest."

I tilted my head in puzzlement. Die serving Kiri? Could I possibly have been given... "A mission?" I asked.

The Mizukage nodded, "a suicide one."

I tried to suppress the joy that rose up. A death like that was... acceptable. Much more fulfilling that my original fate.

"It is very last minute. We are still finalizing the details. We had already set up another plan but your sudden match with Kagura gave us an excellent opportunity to devise another strategy with a higher success rate."

"Can I ask the nature of this mission?" I asked.

The Mizukage smiled, "you are going to single-handedly destroy Konoha, Karatachi Kagura."

* * *

The Mizukage left shortly after, not letting anymore information about the elusive plan slip. I was tasked to recuperate.

They left me alone in an isolated room for a whole week. They fed me well, saying that my body needed to be at peak operational capacity for what was to come next. I took that as an order to regain my physical strength as well. My days were filled with strenuous exercise, all done within the confines of my unofficial cell.

During my breaks, I meddled with my chakra. It was still something new to me. Yagura and I only managed to start manipulating it a few months ago, but we had managed to learn the necessary jutsus required to graduate.

I created a Mizu Bunshin and for shortest of moments, I mistook my clone for my twin. I dispersed it immediately. Now that he was an official Shinobi of the Mist, he would have been sent to the front lines already. I wondered if I still lingered in his mind. Did he want to see my body? Give me a final farewell?

He wouldn't. Yagura was far colder than I was, and sentiment was not something I had to spare in the first place.

I wondered if he would be sent to the same team as our parents, or if they were even still alive. They wrote to us occasionally, and remarked in one of their letters they could not wait to fight alongside us one day. I wondered if they had even considered the scenario that one of us would have been killed by the other.

Probably not. My parents were uncharacteristically optimistic for Kiri-nin.

Would they mourn for me? Definitely not. At their cores, they were still Ninja, and they would not let petty things like emotions and sentiment affect their performance.

I knew that the Mizukage had spared some thought for my welfare the moment I spotted the clock next to the rudimentary bed. The inability to keep track of time created psychological fractures I would rather not have.

Exactly one month after my fight with Yagura, they finally released me.

I knew just how vital the mission was when the one escorting me out was wearing a porcelain mask that bore Kirigakure's symbol.

ANBU. Their identities were kept a secret, but the organization itself was as notorious as the Seven Swordsmen.

They were the elite. The best. And in times of war, they were rarely found in the village.

They were needed outside, not at the frontlines, but behind it, deep in enemy territory. For the Mizukage to have dispatched a squad to oversee what was coming next... it only spoke of how critical it was.

My stomach began to tie into knot. I did not know when the last time I felt nervous was. Suddenly a genin-failure like me was going to play an integral role in Kiri's war effort. I should have felt honor, but unease crept up on me instead.

I was unaware of what was going to happen next. There was no point in asking the ANBU following me. I was supposed to be on a suicide mission, one that involved the destruction of Konohagakure, a Shinobi village so powerful and self-assured that they never even bothered keeping their location a secret.

With their many Bloodline Limits and Doujutsu, as well as a suspected sensory barrier, a sneak attack on the Leaf was near impossible.

It made me wonder just what trump card the Mizukage had that made him feel so confident.

I was led into an underground cavern. It was massive, enough to fit a small town inside. The ceiling was supported by giant pillars with strange inscriptions carved along their lengths. I spotted the picture of a turtle, one with three tails. A layer of water that covered the ground forced me to practice water walking, an essential skill that all ninjas in Kiri had to learn before they could even graduate.

Then I realized we were not alone. One... two... three... _four_ ANBU squads stood on the water, surrounding a large porcelain jar. My escort Shunshin-ed in a shower of water to take his place with his brethren. I tried to my best to hide my surprise. There was enough firepower in the room to turn the tide of a large battle.

And they were all looking at me.

"Kagura," the Mizukage walked into view from behind the pillar. The ANBU knelt in reverence, and I followed their lead. "Are you ready?"

I did not know what was to come, but I nodded anyway. An unprepared ninja was a dead ninja, and I had already been given a death sentence anyway.

He walked over to the large jar, which was taller than me and thrice my width. He placed a hand on its lid, and pretended to uncap it.

Immediately the ANBU tensed.

Just what was in it?

"Do you know what this is?" The Mizukage asked.

I shook my head. "Forgive me, Mizukage-sama, I do not."

He smiled, "it is not your fault. A Sealing Jar is far beyond the scope of an Academy Student or even a Genin. Most Chunin won't know either, unless they specialize in Fuinjutsu."

"A Sealing Jar?" I repeated.

"It is exactly what it sounds like. It seals things and stores it inside."

I gulped, "and what exactly is inside of that one?"

"A Bijuu."

I did not know what that was. The Mizukage looked slightly disappointed at my lack of reaction.

"A Tailed Beast. Legendary creatures composed entirely of chakra, capable of destroying a country by itself. This contains the Sanbi, the Three-Tailed Turtle. It has been in Kiri's possession since the First Shinobi War but we never found a way to utilize its power effectively."

"I see," I nodded. So that was how the Mizukage planned to destroy Konoha. "And what do I have to do?"

He tapped the jar. It sounded hollow. "The Jar is difficult to transport around. Movement disturbs the seal, and the Sanbi can be unleashed at any moment, killing all who are near it."

"You want me to carry it?" I asked.

"I want you to break it."

I blinked, letting his words sink in. Wouldn't that just release the monster?

"Now?" I asked.

"Yes."

I was baffled. "Wouldn't that just unleash the Sanbi in the middle of Kiri?"

"Yes it would. That is why we had this underground cavern built. It is reinforced with seals. It will withstand the attacks of the Sanbi for a while. So we have to stop it fast. "

"So you want me to stop it?"

The Mizukage actually laughed. Even the ANBU looked up in surprise.

"Such confidence. No. You are nowhere near that level. I will stop it. Assisted by the ANBU, of course. Even I am no match against the strength of a Bijuu alone."

"Then... where do I fit in?"

The Mizukage pointed at the Sealing Jar. "You will become the next Sealing Jar. Your body will host the Sanbi, and you will infiltrate Konoha and release it there when we ask you to. That process however, will kill you. That is how you are going to die, Karatachi Kagura. A more valiant way to go, agreed?"

I paused. A suicide bomber. That was what I was going to be. I was giddy with an excitement. Infiltration. Sabotage. Destruction. All the skills I spent years honing would actually be employed.

The Mizukage must have seen my excitement, because he gave a nod of approval.

"So, Karatachi Kagura. Are you ready to become a Jinchuuriki?"

Naturally, I said yes.

* * *

 **A/N:** I think I might actually focus on this alongside Fallen Messiah if the reception is good. Focusing on one story is kind of tiring, to be honest, and alternating between the two gives me alot more energy and motivation.

Anyway, do review, fav, follow and let me know your thoughts on this!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

I was asked to destroy the Sealing Jar with a punch. It seemed awfully crude to me, but who was I to question the methods of the Mizukage?

As I walked towards it, the ANBU readied themselves. They flared their chakra and even someone like me, who had just learnt how to sense it recently, felt overwhelmed. Their hands began to run through seals faster than my eyes could follow. Stone walls rose from the ground to provide cover and protection for when the Tailed Beast was to be released. And then I noticed from the corner of my eye one particular ANBU with wild unkempt hair pull out a strange weapon.

A giant sowing needle, complete with thread through the hole at its hilt. I recognized it immediately. The Nuibari, the Sewing Needle Sword, one of the Seven Shinobi Swords. I resisted the urge to stare. That man was equivalent to a national hero. Those who did not seek the throne of Mizukage sought instead to wield one of the Seven Swords, and here stood a man who had accomplished it.

At last I reached the Sealing Jar. I placed my hand on it. It hummed with energy. I looked around me. The ANBU remained still, their muscles tensed and already in formation. The Mizukage nodded at me.

I swung my fist down as hard as I could.

Things after that were a blur.

A massive concussive force sent me flying backwards and straight into a pillar. The impact was agonizing, and I could only lie on the ground, half submerged in the water as I tried to make sense of what was going on.

There was sky-piercing roar, followed by shouts as the ANBU began to coordinate their attacks. Explosions rang throughout the cavern. A wall made of smoke and rubble blocked my view. The pressure was incredible. I was from far the fighting, but the weight of the Sanbi's massive chakra presence pressed onto my chest, making every breath tiring.

Spiked and armored tails protruded out of the smoke, swinging in the air as they tried to swat the ninjas away. An endless barrage of jutsus slammed into the Bijuu at the center of it all. Looking at the scene, I finally understood why the cavern was flooded with water. A squad of ANBU pulled back, their fingers flashing through dozens of hand seals in the blink of an eye.

"Suiton: Suigadan (Water Style: Water Fang Bullet)!" they cried in unison. Dozens of drill-shaped pillars arced upwards from the ground before raining onto the target in the center of the smoke.

The Mizukage walked calmly towards the center of the storm. A massive tail swung downwards, threatening to smash him into a pulp.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu)." With a single hand seal, a dozen dragons made from water rose up from the ground, deflecting the Sanbi's tail before attacking the main body itself.

An relentless attack by the Kiri-nin that would have wiped out a small town in an instant. But the monster they were fighting could erase a nation.

The Bijuu let out another guttural roar. This time, malice accompanied it.

For the first time in my six years alive, I felt fear. True, genuine fear. I was paralyzed in terror. I saw haunting images of things I could not even describe. Otherworldly creatures that razed everything in their sights and inflicted pain worse than death. I was not afraid of death before this. I had been prepared. But this thing exposed a hell to me that made even me fear what came afterwards. This was different from the Killing Intent that they taught us at the Academy.

Even the ANBU were affected. I saw one falter in his tracks, just long enough for a tail to swing at him from the side and he was no more. Where he stood earlier was now stained red.

Bile rose up to my throat. My breathing and pulse rate began to quicken. The effects of fear were so fresh to me I simply did not know how to react. I reached out, silently begging for anyone, _anyone_ , to help me. My body began to tremble, and I knew it was beginning to shut down when my vision became blurry.

My actions were caught by the sharp eyes of the Mizukage.

"Utakata," he said in a commanding tone, not even bothering to hide the identities of the masked Shinobis anymore. "The boy. He is going into shock."

The next thing I knew a masked man landed in front of me. A simple glance later, he began to flash through several hand seals quickly.

A giant bubble began to expand around me.

"You will be safe here," he said. His voice was not very low - it sounded as though he was still a teen himself. Then he waved his hand in front of me, "now sleep."

My eyelids grew heavy, and I lacked any focus and willpower to dispel the genjutsu he had cast on me. I let the realm of dreams take over my mind.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, the battle was already over.

I was no longer in the bubble. Instead, I found myself lying in the center of the Cavern, my shirt removed.

It was quiet, the post-battle silence broken only by the ocasional piece of rubble that crashed to the ground.

The Mizukage was towering over me, his lips set in a grim frown as a streak of blood trickled down his cheek.

I stuggled to get up to greet him, but my body was still lethargic and unresponsive as it tried to expel the foreign that chakra that had invaded it.

"It's done."

I wanted to ask where the Sanbi was, but he placed his hand on my stomach before I could do so. His cold fingers flared with chakra and I tilted my head forwards to see what he was doing.

When... when did I get a tattoo?

Overlapping shapes and charcters were splayed across my stomach. It looked like gibberish, nothing more than a random assortment of black ink, but clearly it meant something if the Mizukage was staring at it so intently.

Then his chakra intensified and _something_ pulsated through my body. It was unmistakable. That was the grotesque aura of the Sanbi. It was far more diluted than earlier, but shivers ran up my spine as the uncomfortable chakra diffused across my body.

"You felt that, didn't you?" he asked.

I nodded, "Mizukage-sama, that was... that was the Sanbi, wasn't it?"

He tapped my stomach, pointing to the strange pattern before it faded away back to normal skin.

"It's been sealed into you. That piece of Fuinjutsu is the only thing stopping you from transforming into it right now."

The Sanbi... was in me? I brought my hands to my face where I flexed my fingers. My cognitive and physical responses seemed perfectly normal. I turned around to inspect my body for any changes - maybe I had grown a tail?

When nothing seemed amiss, my lips curled downwards. "I don't feel any... different," I said.

"That means the seal is working perfectly. Get up. We must act fast from here on out." The Mizukage commanded.

I obeyed. As I got to my feet, I took the opportunity to observe the aftermath of the battle.

The cavern was unrecognizable. Before, it could have passed off as a holy temple or a sacred site. Now, it was ruined. The marble floor was peppered with craters and heaps of debris. Water leaked into the cavern from holes in the ceiling and walls. Many of the once-grand pillars had collapsed, spraying large chunks of rock all over the place.

Those were just the environmental casualties. I understood why it was so quiet now. Corpses covered by sheets lay in a neat row not far from where I was.

I counted nine in total. Nearly a fifty per cent casualty rate. The survivors stood vigil around them, their heads hung low out of respect. No one here had died out of weakness. They had fallen valiantly, putting their lives on the line for a purpose bigger than themselves.

Worthy deaths.

Like I expected, Utakata and the wielder of the Nuibari were among the living. Between the survivors, they were probably in the best physical shape. A few were covered in blood or had visible breaks in their bones. One ANBU, a woman if the slight swell in her chest was any indication, was missing her right arm elbow-down. Her career as a Shinobi might be salvageable, but her time in ANBU was definitely over.

"Hurry up."

The Mizukage was walking fast, and I had to jog with my short legs to catch up to the long strides of his.

Then we left the cavern, the Mizukage not even looking back once.

* * *

It was a strange sensation, knowing that there was a Bijuu sealed inside my body. Physically, there was little different about me. My chakra reserves grew slightly bigger and became a bit harder to control, but those were apparently normal side effects. Apparently becoming a Jinchuuriki was the easiest way to increase one's chakra reserves, and many adult hosts had chakra levels that put even Kages to shame.

Not that I would live that long, anyway.

I hadn't had a chance to catch a breather since the sealing. After final checks that the seal wasn't defective, I was quickly hurried out the village gates. I understood their urgency. Rumors had reached even my ears that the war was ending. I heard the guards watching me talk about a 'Yellow Flash' and how one man was single-handedly leading Konoha to victory. The other villages were getting pushed back. At the current rate, it seemed there might actually be a victor in this Shinobi War, breaking the tradition of bloody stalemates.

No wonder the Mizukage seemed to be in such a rush to deal one last decisive blow against Konoha before the armistice was signed. I was out before the day even ended.

Then again, the faster you got an untrained Jinchuuriki out of your village, the better.

I wasn't being sent to Konoha alone, of course. I had an escort; he called himself Satoshi, though I doubted that was his real name. He was an infiltration and sealing specialist, perfect for our current task. Between the two of us, he was the only one that knew how to unseal the Sanbi.

Our journey began with a boat ride. We were hiding in the belly of a military transport disguised as a common fishing boat. Satoshi retired to his room from the very start, and I saw neither hide nor hair of him since.

'Preparation,' he called it, before entering.

It was dark in the cargo hold. I didn't like the feeling of being trapped in a metal container floating in the middle of the vast ocean. There was nothing I could do if something happened. It felt suffocating, like I was a prisoner.

The rocking and swaying made it difficult to sleep even though it was night.

Instead, I lifted up my shirt and gathered some chakra at my navel. Like I expected, the seal appeared. I tilted my head left and right, hoping that changing the angle would somehow allow me to make sense of the squiggles and shapes. Nope, still gibberish. It didn't make sense, how did something so big fit in a tiny human body like mine? Fuinjutsu was weird, I decided.

I started poking at the seal. I wondered, if I were to just tear off the skin the seal was on, would it be the same as removing the seal itself? I hadn't been conscious during the process, so I didn't know just what role the magical ink on my stomach played. Was the Sanbi tied to the ink of the seal? Or was it entwined with me? So many questions I didn't have answers to.

"You know," a raspy voice said behind me, "if you keep poking at it so hard, it's going to explode. You know, like a balloon."

I stopped poking immediately. Instead, I pulled out a kunai and turned around, pointing it towards the newcomer. He was an old man, one I didn't see while we were boarding the boat. He was slightly hunched over, and his warm smile only deepened his crow's feet. His old age was no reason for me to drop my guard. In fact, if he was a ninja, I should have raised it even higher.

There was a saying, _'old ninja are good ninja'_. There was little I could do against someone of that caliber, but that was no reason for me to give up without a fight.

"It's me," he laughed in a different voice, one I found very familiar.

"...Satoshi-san?" I asked.

"The one and only," he replied in his usual voice.

I tried disrupting my chakra flow - it would've dispelled any genjutsu he'd cast on me. When nothing happened, I stabbed myself in the hand with the kunai - a small nick, nothing too deep. That would've _definitely_ dispelled any genjutsu. When that didn't work, I slowly reached out to tug at his cheek.

It was loose and leathery. Genuine ripened human skin. I dropped my kunai in shock.

"How- how long have I been on this boat?" I murmured.

He broke out into a large grin as he looked at his watch. "About two hours."

"Then how..."

I didn't understand. Satoshi had been a young man with brown unruly hair. The septuagenarian in front of me had a head full of white hair. There was barely any physical resemblance besides the general face shapes. There were moles were there weren't any earlier. Scars had disappeared. The man's entire aura had changed from a cautious Jounin to a kind grandfather.

"It's called a disguise. What do they even teach at the Academy these days besides murder? You ever heard of _make-up_ , kid?"

I knew about disguises. I also knew about make-up. But what Satoshi had done to himself resembled more transformative surgery if anything. No wonder he disappeared for so long.

"Why all the trouble? Why not just use a genjutsu, or a simple Henge?" I asked.

Satoshi rolled his now-cloudy eyes. I had no idea how he made them that way. Contacts? "Yes. Use illusionary techniques to sneak into a village that has not only one, but _two_ Doujutsus that see through genjutsu. You said it yourself: too simple. And here I thought you were a genius, kid."

I wanted to smack myself. I completely forgot that Konoha held the Sharingan and the Byakugan. As if having the Yellow Flash wasn't enough. No wonder Konoha was such a powerhouse.

I tried to veer away from the topic to stave off my embarrassment. Then I remembered what he said at first. I pointed to my stomach, letting my seal be visible again. "Is it true? Will I explode if I break the seal?"

It seemed highly unlikely to me, but given my general lack of knowledge on the sealing arts, I would rather be safe than sorry.

Satoshi shrugged. "Depends," he said, reverting back to his elderly voice. "It might happen."

Seriously? I thought he was joking.

"Of course it'll take more than a few finger jabs to break the seal. This seal's more spiritual than physical. You'll need to apply chakra in a very precise manner to adjust or tamper with it. So there are three possible scenarios that could happen if the seal breaks." He stuck out his index finger, "firstly, the seal experiences a sudden break. The Sanbi will be unleashed immediately, which will tear your body apart and you die."

I nodded my head. The Mizukage had already explained that part of the operation to me.

Satoshi stuck out his next finger. "Secondly, the seal experiences a gradual, but repairable, break. The Bijuu's chakra slowly leaks out which, by the way, is corrosive and toxic to the human body. As more chakra leaks out, your body is devoured. Once all three tails appear, the damage is irreversible and you die. Of course, if you learn how to harness your Bijuu's chakra, you won't die in either of these scenarios, but that takes several years so don't even bother right now. Also note that if someone wants to extract the Sanbi out of your body, this particular situation will arise. Once the Sanbi is completely pulled out," he paused for a bit, "you die."

"I'm starting to see a pattern here," I muttered. "And the third scenario?" I asked.

Satoshi smiled warmly at me. "You die."

I blinked. "That's it?"

"Well... yea. If you die, the seal disappears. That's kind of common sense right? You can't seal a Bijuu into a corpse. But for this scenario, the Sanbi will die with you. Of course, Bijuus are immortal so the Sanbi will just reform itself somewhere off the coast of Kiri sooner or later. Then the Mizukage will drag me or some other Fuinjutsu master to seal it into some other poor soul or jar again."

"So I die no matter what happens," I concluded.

Satoshi tilted his head, looking amused. "That is the general plan, isn't it, Mister Failed-Genin? There's a reason why Jinchuuriki don't tend to live very long."

I kept quiet. He was right. My mission was to die. I should have been grateful to die in a real mission instead of a pointless fight, and not try to wriggle out of my fate. It was worth it, my life in exchange for destroying a village. Most ninjas could train their whole lives and not even come close.

* * *

Once the boat docked on a random beach, we slipped away under the cover of darkness into the forest.

"Stay in character from now on," whispered Satoshi as he hobbled forward, "we're only a few miles away from the borders of Hi no Kuni. From now until even after we've entered Konoha, act on the suspicion that we're being watched."

I nodded as I wrapped my tiny fingers against his coarse and aged ones. I tugged on his hand, "Grandfather, how long till we reach Konoha?" I asked.

Our cover story was simple. We were refugees fleeing from the war. Our village had been destroyed in the crossfire and the rest of our family had become collateral damage. We were the only two left and wanted to seek shelter in the safety of a Ninja Village. There had to be others like us - and that meant an established procedure for refugees. We would blend in with the rest, and strike Konoha when its guard was at its lowest.

For now though, we had to endure the long trek ahead of us. Our planned route avoided the front lines as much as possible. It would take several days, but getting involved in combat was the last thing we wanted.

Naturally, civilians - especially an old man and a young child - didn't have much stamina. Meaning we couldn't very well walk the whole time; it wouldn't be very believable. We very quickly set up camp using a primitive tent that fit into Satoshi's rucksack.

A small lantern illuminated the cramp tent. My small size allowed the both of us to squeeze inside comfortably. Satoshi's eyes were closed, and I watched curiously as his chest rise up and down, a tiny snore escaping his lips with each action. Utterly believable, but I knew he was wide awake.

No Jounin would snore in their sleep.

Comforted that at least somebody was keeping watch, I closed my eyes and let my body rest.

* * *

The night passed by uneventfully. In the morning, we packed up and resumed our journey. It was aggravating to travel at a snail's pace. Satoshi provided some entertainment, occasionally regaling tales of his concocted youth as we walked. The man was a good storyteller. Then again, as an infiltration specialist, making things up must have been his forte.

I, too, tried keeping in character. But then I realized it was difficult to act sad about my dead fake-family. Crying was out of question - I would never stoop so low. Instead I would hold Satoshi's hand for most of the journey, and ask him questions about our imaginary relatives every once in a while.

We kept up this cycle for days. Maintaining the persona was difficult. I had to build truths based on lies, and remembering things that I had made up was more difficult than I imagined.

Then at the halfway mark of our journey, Satoshi coughed twice.

I resisted the urge to freeze, trying my best to keep my gait constant.

 _We are being followed. Two people._

Making an obvious motion the moment we had pursuers would have triggered off their alarm bells. Satoshi's warning to me was obviously delayed, and I wondered how much our elusive pursuers had seen or heard.

"Grandfather, are you alright? Do you need to rest?" I asked, putting in as much concern as I could in my voice.

Satoshi waved me off, "I'm fine. We can rest later."

 _Proceed as normal._

Our routine continued. I tried my best to stay in character, but it was far more difficult knowing that someone was now observing me. The first night was the hardest. As usual, Satoshi pretended to sleep - the only time he truly slept were power naps during our short breaks in the day.

I lay frozen in place. I couldn't sleep knowing that we were being watched. Satoshi might have been a Jounin, but even he would be hard-pressed to fight two others. Considering that I would be a worthless in such a fight, the least I could do was not burden him.

It wasn't nervousness as much as it was preparedness. I didn't want to be caught off guard.

"Can't sleep?"

Satoshi had "woken up" and was now looking at me. His tone may have carried concern, but his expression was irritation.

"Thinking about Papa and Mama," I fibbed. That was a believable excuse for insomnia, right? An orphaned child mourning for his dead parents. Satoshi nodded his head in silent approval.

"You need to rest," he continued saying, "you will need it. Konoha is still quite far away."

 _Or they will know that something is amiss_.

"Okay, grandfather." I said reluctantly.

His response was a snore.

* * *

I didn't like Fire Country.

It was too hot. The air was humid and stale. There was no constant coastal breeze like there was in Kiri. The leaves that provided us shade also provided cover for those following us. Not once did Satoshi give the 'all-clear' signal.

They were intending to follow us to Konoha, implying they were Konoha-nin keeping tabs on suspicious intruders.

We pressed on anyway. For one week we walked, followed by the invisible Konoha-nin.

Then one day Satoshi scratched his butt. He was a man with a sense of humor, and that was his signal that we were no longer being followed.

Minutes later, I found out why. It loomed over the treetop canopy. A massive wall, as tall as a small mountain.

We had reached Konoha.

We continued strolling at our leisurely pace towards the main gate. It wouldn't do to get caught so close to our objective.

There was a guardhouse right in front, manned by two ninjas who wore Konoha's trademark green vest. They looked extremely bored, and when they saw us, one drawled out lazily, "Halt. I'm going to have to ask for identification."

No wonder they were bored. They were little more than glorified security guards. No real threat was ever going to attack through the main door of a Ninja Village.

"We don't have any," Satoshi replied, a twinge of sadness in his voice, "they were destroyed in the fire that burnt our village down."

They suddenly looked very alert. Forging documents was riskier than faking stories.

"Sorry sir. But we can't let in anyone who doesn't have identification."

"Please," Satoshi begged, "we have nowhere else to go."

The man shook his head apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't let you in, sir. Konoha isn't taking in any new citizens in time of war. You know, for security reasons. All refugees are advised to head towards the capital of Fire Country. You will find shelter there. You can reapply for citizenship here once the war is over."

Satoshi sunk to his knees, tears welling in his eyes. "Shinobi-san. I beg of you. My grandson and I have walked for over a week. We are tired. We have lost our home and our family to the war. Even for a few days, just let us rest here. Let my dear Kagura sleep on a bed and have a decent meal."

The man looked at us with obvious pity. I put on my best disappointed-looking face and one sighed in resignation. Konoha ninja were such softies. It made me curious what it was that made them so strong in spite of such weakness. They started whispering to each other, and I wondered if Satoshi had trained to pick up on such soft sounds and could hear what they were saying.

"Alright, alright," one of them said after they were done conferring, "I will talk to the guard commander and see if there is anything we can do."

"Thank you, Shinobi-san. We are counting on you," Satoshi said gratefully as the man vanished in a Shunshin, leaving us with his companion.

"So," he asked, "what village were you from, anyway?"

"A small fishing village near Nami."

"Nami?" the ninja perked up, "then why didn't you go to Kiri? It's so much nearer."

For the first time, anger seeped into Satoshi's voice and he clenched his fists. "We would not have been safe there."

The man chuckled, "really? I know the Hidden Mist are a bunch of hardliners, but I'm pretty sure you'll be fine there if you don't cause trouble."

"No," Satoshi repeated. "They would have killed us. They were the ones that destroyed our village."

The Konoha-nin gasped, "What! Why?"

Satoshi's voice trembled. "One day, an injured man stumbled into the village. His wounds were horrendous and it was clear to us he was involved in the war. He told us he was a shinobi seeking refuge, though he refused to reveal which village he was from. We had been warned by Kiri-nin before to report such incidents, but we just couldn't say no to the man. So we took him in and hid him until he could recover."

"And then one day," Satoshi began to choke on his own words, "when Kagura and I returned from fishing... the whole village-" tears dripped down, and Satoshi weeped, unable to continue. Even I was slightly stunned at the display. The Konoha-nin, not knowing how to react, tried to console him.

"I'm so sorry, sir. The war's been hard on all of us. I really wish we could help but... we have our own orders to follow."

At this point, the guard who left earlier returned, accompanied by another ninja. He must have been the guard commander they had been talking about.

"Your names, please."

"Nakamura Satoshi."

"Nakamura Kagura," I said.

"Nakamura-san," the third man bowed. "I am afraid that I do not have the power to let you in the village. May I please request you go to Capital instead? We are more than willing to offer you supplies and food, but I will overstep my boundaries by letting you into the village. If you do not comply, I may have to resort to force to remove you from the grounds of Konoha."

Satoshi slumped his shoulders. "Is there no way? There must be somebody who can help us!"

The guard commander shook his head. "There were orders by the Hokage himself. Only he can-"

"-Then let us see him!"

It was not Satoshi who interrupted, but me. Even he looked slightly shocked at my sudden outburst.

"We are at war, young one. The Hokage is far too busy to attend to trivial matters like this," The man said very seriously.

"Trivial?" I took step back, feigning anger. "Is that what we are to you? Trivial?"

The man immediately bowed. I had not expected that. "My deepest apologies. I did not mean to offend you. What I meant to say is that the Hokage does not have the time to pay attention to each and every refugee that wants entry. It is a blanket order. No refugees. We have turned away hundreds of people trying to escape the war. Letting you in will be unfair to them."

"Even if I want to be a ninja?" I asked defiantly, taking small pride my question had them raising their eyebrows. "I want - no - I _need_ to be a ninja. I can't do that in the Capital. I have to enter Konoha," I said resolutely.

It was a dilemma for them, the best I could up with in the moment. Every village, even Konoha, would lose ninjas due to the war. Ninjas that needed to be replaced. But recruitment numbers always dropped after every war. They needed every potential ninja they could get.

The guard commander knelt in front of me, looking at me straight in the eye. He smelled of cigarettes. "Being a ninja isn't easy, you know. Why do you want to be one?" he asked.

I had my answer perfectly rehearsed in my head. "Because I was too weak to do anything when my home was destroyed. And I don't ever want to feel that kind of helplessness again."

The man kept staring at me even after I was done. Did he see through me? The key to telling an undetectable lie was to tell the truth. I was too weak, that's why I lost to Yagura, and I never wanted to feel weakness again. I had based my response on that feeling - the sincerity should have been authentic.

The man got up, and patted my head. "Good answer. Wait here. I will see if he has time."

Then he vanished.

One of the guards whistled.

"You're lucky, kid."

I looked at him. He was smiling at me.

I looked down again. "No, I'm not," I said under my breath.

* * *

Somehow, the Hokage was willing to entertain us. Satoshi had patted me on the back, pleased that my little gambit had paid off. He had worn a forlorn smile on his face as he did so. So we would release the Sanbi then. In the heart of Konoha, in the presence of its leader, and that was where I would die.

Like we expected, security was strict. We were searched thoroughly - we had not brought any ninja tools with us for that reason. When we were cleared, we were led through the town towards the office of the Hokage.

Konoha looked like a pleasant town. There was a hint of seriousness in the air but for the most part, people seemed to be going about their daily lives. I saw children running down the street, not a care in the world. It was odd - how come they hadn't been conscripted to become ninjas?

The Hokage Tower was a big red building near the back of the town. Behind it, a giant rock wall with three faces carved into it. At the entrance, the guard commander wished us the best before returning to his post. The Hokage's office was on the highest floor, and we were escorted there by two ANBU agents.

"Come in," a voice replied when we knocked.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting in an armchair across the room. He had forsaken the ceremonial robes, opting to wear battle armor instead, complete with the shoulder guards. The window behind him overlooked the city of Konoha. His desk was filled with papers, and a giant map in the center of the room had armies of figurines and markers placed atop of it. It seemed the Hokage's office served as a war room as well.

"Hokage-sama," we greeted concurrently as we entered. From here on out, we would just need to wait for the perfect opportunity to release the Sanbi.

"Nakamura-san," the Hokage-sama gestured at the two wooden chairs that had been placed in front of his table, "and Nakamura-kun, please sit. I've heard all about your plight."

We took our seats while the pair of ANBU remained standing vigilantly at the door to stop anyone one from interrupting. _Or from escaping,_ I thought.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked tired. He had eyebags, and the grey hairs that made up his sideburns looked recent, if the portrait on the wall was any indication. His shoulders were hunched, and the stench of tobacco was heavy in the air. I eyed the pipe on the table.

Hiruzen caught me looking at it. He smiled, "it helps me cope with the stress. Fighting a war is... difficult, no matter which rank you are."

"Hokage-sama," Satoshi bowed his head, "thank you for seeing us."

"I apologize," the Hokage said morosely, "for the loss of your family and home. It was never any of our intentions to drag civilians into this ninja war."

Satoshi nodded gratefully. "It cannot be helped, there is always collateral damage in any war."

"That is true but I hear," Hiruzen turned to look at me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, "that your grandson doesn't intend to remain a civilian for long."

Satoshi sighed, "I try everyday to talk him out of it, but... he's set on it. He doesn't understand the risks and dangers of the job."

At this point, I felt the need to speak up, "Grandfather, it's you who doesn't understand the dangers of _not_ being a ninja."

"Oh?" the Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Do share, young one."

Uh oh. I hadn't meant to attract his attention so much. _Go with the flow_ , Satoshi's eyes told me. It seemed he trusted my acting now.

I cleared my throat. "Ninjas are strong. They're the ones that can decide the fate of this world. I don't want to remain oblivious and leave my fate to those stronger than me. I want to be the master of my own destiny," I said firmly. The words had flowed out of my mouth so smoothly I could scarcely believe it. A boy sentenced to die talking about controlling his own fate? The idea was laughable.

The Hokage leaned back, looking at me with renewed interest. "Nakamura-san, your grandson is..."

"Very intelligent," Satoshi finished for him. "He's read every book in the village. When he was younger, I took him out fishing. Midway, we hit a storm. It was him that read the waves and led us out of it."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. He laced his fingers around each other and leaned forward, resting his chin on the bridge his hands now formed. "A prodigy. I have seen, and even taught, many children like him. He will grow up and do great things."

"Then you will take him in?" Satoshi asked, hope pouring into his voice.

"Yes, I will. I cannot pass up such an opportunity." He stood up and extended his hand, "Konoha welcomes the Nakamura family into it fold."

Satoshi grabbed onto gratefully. "Thank you Hokage-sama!" tears streaming down, "thank you so much!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled kindly, "I will get the paperwork sorted right away. Young Kagura can join the Academy by the end of the week. My ANBU will lead you to a place where you can rest for a few days first. We can talk about permanent housing at a later date."

We were ushered out by the ANBU. As we were leaving, the Hokage called out, "oh, and Nakamura-san. You might want to remove all that make up before you take the photos for your identity card!"

I froze. The Hokage knew? Then this whole thing was a farce?

"Shi-" Satoshi was already moving. His hands were in a blur, forming hand seals that would no doubt break my seal and release the Sanbi. It was now or never.

There was a sound, as if a flock of hundreds of starlings had suddenly flown into the room, a cacophony of chirping that hurt my ears.

Then something warm and wet splashed onto me.

Satoshi's arms dropped limply to his side.

" _Chidori_ ," whispered the ANBU that had his arm pierced through Satoshi's chest. My fingers reached up to my face to wipe the liquid away. It had a metallic smell, and my fingers were stained red with Satoshi's blood when I looked at them.

Satoshi's glazed eyes rolled up and he slumped to the floor as the ANBU pulled his arm out.

Satoshi was dead. With no means of releasing the Sanbi, the mission was now a guaranteed failure.

"Inu," the Hokage said sternly, "was that really necessary? He might have had valuable intel."

There was a protocol for scenarios like this.

"Hokage-sama, he was welling up his chakra and preparing to release it. It was most likely something explosive or destructive in nature."

Priority one: Minimize allied casualties. Satoshi was already dead. Meaning allied casualties referred to me. I needed to escape. That was an impossible task, considering I was in the heart of enemy territory. Judging from the ANBU's words, he had could see or sense chakra. Most likely a doujutsu, making running away even harder.

"Hmm," the Hokage said thoughtfully, "I suppose there was no choice then."

Priority two: Maximize enemy casualties. An even more daunting tasks. Two ANBU members, and the Hokage himself. My only shot of hurting them, the Sanbi, was now beyond my reach.

"It's alright, Hokage-sama," the dog-mask wearing ANBU looked at me. "There's one more."

Priority three: Minimize allied assets falling into enemy hands. That referred to Satoshi's body, which I doubted I could destroy in time and... the Sanbi. I needed to prevent the Sanbi from falling into Konoha's hands.

What had Satoshi said? _"the Sanbi will die with you"_

I needed to kill myself.

"He's a child," the Hokage frowned, "I doubt he knows that much."

Now, while they were still distracted and overlooking me. A letter opener, on the Hokage's table. Not an ideal weapon, but sharp enough to pierce my jugular artery. I made a dash for it, grabbed it, and swung down it down towards my neck.

A strong grip on my arm stopped the tip millimeters away. It was the ANBU that had killed Satoshi, his hands still wet with Satoshi's blood.

"So eager to kill yourself?" the Hokage asked, "so you _do_ know something."

Shit. I could've played innocent and labelled myself an unimportant piece of the plan. I had just unintentionally made myself a target.

The Hokage smiled kindly, "have a seat, Kagura. We have much to talk about."

"How did you know?" I asked as the ANBU forced me into the seat.

"Hmmm? We knew before you even entered the village. Inu here was following the two while coming back from a mission. And as for how... Inu, could you please?"

"Make-up melts. Exposed to the hot sun of Hi no Kuni, the wax in your handler's make-up drooped slightly. It was very minor, but I caught it while observing you two over the week."

How... neither Satoshi and I had even considered that. But this ninja, from an unknown distance away, could tell? Doujutsu confirmed.

Spiky gray hair, a lean build. Affinity for lightning chakra. Possible doujutu user. Such intel could be useful in the future. A future I realized, I probably would not live to see.

"My turn to ask questions." The Hokage crossed his arms. "Judging from your little sob story, the two of you were from Kiri, right?"

I kept quiet.

"I'll take that as a yes."

I remained quiet.

"What's your purpose in Konoha?"

Silence.

He stood up, looking annoyed. "I don't think you understand your position here. You're currently considered a spy and I-" the Hokage stopped. Then very quietly, he asked, "how old are you?"

I supposed it was okay to answer that. Answer a few of his questions to satisfy him, at least. "Five," I replied.

The ANBU grabbing me stiffened. The letter opener was stil pressed against my neck, but his strong hold was the only thing stopping it from sinking it into my flesh. The Hokage sunk back into his chair, a look of disbelief on his face. "Five," he repeated.

I nodded.

He pressed his palms to his face. "I was going to execute a five-year-old." He murmured to himself.

"Does that bother you?" I asked, seeking to take momentum of the conversation. "I was supposed to kill a five-year-old as well. But he ended up beating me instead."

He looked at me incredulously, no doubt wondering how I could say such a thing with a straight face. "Kiri," he mumbled to himself, "one hundred percent Kiri. They're sending Genin out to the field at _five_?"

I shook my head. "Just the two of us. My brother and I were very smart," I said with a dash of pride.

"Brother? They made twins fight each other in your graduation deathmatch?"

"Unlucky right?" I smiled.

The Hokage did not humor me. It was clear my behavior unsettled him a fair amount. "War has made monsters out of all of us."

Then he shook his head, clearing himself of his distracting thoughts. When he looked up, his face was grave and his tone was firm.

"I will not kill you. Nor will I torture you. Konoha does have morals and standards. But I am not above using genjutsu to force the answers I want out of you. It will not be pleasant. Now I ask you again, what is your purpose in coming to Konoha?"

It seemed he was finally getting serious.

"A sleeper agent." The previous digression had given me time to come up with a believable cover story. "With the war ending, my leader wants holds in the other villages for future use. So he sent promising failed Genins to infiltrate Hidden Villages to become ninja, hoping that they could provide intelligence and footholds."

The Hokage looked as though he believed my story. Even I would have believed it. It was logical and manageable. I was quite proud of being able to come up with it on the fly.

"He's lying," the ANBU holding on to me declared.

Damn it. So his doujutsu could detect lies? Was that even possible? Or was he just that good a ninja?

The Hokage leveled a stare at me. "This is your last chance," he warned, "The Yamanaka are very good at their jobs. Would you want a ninja digging through your mind?"

Shit. The Yamanaka. They were mind-readers, weren't they? Then the whole jig was up. I couldn't counter that. Very slowly, I lifted up my shirt with my free hand. The ANBU made a move to stop me, but sensing no ill-intent, he let it go.

"My name is Karatachi Kagura." I pushed chakra into my belly, letting the seal become visible. The Hokage's eyes visibly widened and he took a step back upon seeing it.

"That seal..." He murmured.

"And I am the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Unsurprisingly, they knocked me out the moment I made that revelation. A swift chop to the neck by one of the ANBU and I was out cold. A Jinchuuriki that revealed himself was either giving himself up, or about to release the Bijuu inside him. Rendering me unconscious was the safest option the Hokage had other than killing me outright.

I regained consciousness in what was clearly a hospital room. The scent of antiseptic gave it away. My body felt groggy and limp, and an IV drip pierced into my arm confirmed what I immediately suspected.

They were drugging me. My hands were also shackled to the bed rails and my feet were bound. Child or not, Konoha wasn't taking any chances with me. They were also smart enough not to leave me alone. There was a lone woman with me. Her dirty clothes and grimed face implied she had just returned from the frontlines. Her green flak jacket had gashes and burn marks; her blue bodysuit was ripped in several areas. She had eye-catchingly long red hair, which she tied into a ponytail. Like most ninjas, she wore her forehead protector proudly above her eyes, bearing Konoha's symbol.

"Hi," she said.

I made a grunt, my body too lethargic to make any real cognitive sounds. The drugs were strong, and I had a feeling that they were also affecting my chakra control.

"Right," she said to herself, "the drugs. Can't talk." She looked back to me and smiled, "anyway, I'm going to check on your seal. Once I confirm that everything's A-okay, I'll get them to remove the drugs, okay?"

I nodded.

I'd seen a dentist once in my five years alive so far. Back in the Academy, during our final physical checkup before the graduation. The woman reminded me of the dentist then. She kept talking to me even when I had no way of responding.

"Five years old and a Jinchuuriki, huh. Tough. Now let's see what we have here." She pressed her palm into my stomach, and I got a tingling sensation as she forced the seal to appear through her own chakra.

"Wow. This is not bad, for Kiri at least. Solid stuff," she remarked a moment later.

Several 'oohs' and 'ahs' ensued, followed by a long 'hmmm'.

"What happens if I do this?" she asked.

There was sudden sting of pain, and I winced.

The woman recoiled back. "Sorry," she said guiltily, "didn't mean to hurt you. Got a little curious." Then she muttered under her breath, "note to self: that kills host. Do not try again."

I felt my eyes go wide. What had she been trying to do?

"Before I clear you, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions. Just nod or shake your head accordingly, yea?"

I nodded slowly.

She tilted her head and smiled, "I'll know if you lie, by the way. So don't do that, yea?"

I nodded my head again. She looked like a Jounin. I didn't think I could lie convincingly in my drugged state anyway.

"Question one," she continued, "have you experienced any blackouts or unexplained memory loss ever since you became a Jinchuuriki?"

I shook my head.

"Question two, do you hear voices in your head or thoughts that are not your own?"

Again, I shook my head.

"Question three, have you ever felt foreign or strange chakra circulating around your body inexplicably?"

As I shook my head yet again, I wondered if the woman was intentionally using big words around me. She continued reading off a mental list of questions, each one determining if the Sanbi had any influence on my body whatsoever. I replied in the negative for all of them - I really hadn't noticed any particular difference at all ever since the sealing.

"Finally," she clapped her hands, "we're done. Just sit tight. I'll try to talk to whoever's in charge to get you off the drugs at least, yea?" She beamed at me. I didn't understand why she looked so happy to see me. I was an enemy, and I had come with the intention of destroying her home.

Still, I nodded gratefully.

* * *

Like the woman promised, the drugs stopped. The restraints remained though, and several paper seals attached to my body restricted any manipulation of chakra on my part. I was left mainly to my own devices, though occasionally medics would come to check on me and serve my meals. The food was decent - which made me realize that Konoha was actually making an effort to keep me alive despite the war.

I had an idea of what they were up to.

The woman returned soon enough. She had freshened up. New and clean clothes, combed hair, she actually looked fairly pleasant.

"Hi," she said, like before.

This time I could actually respond intelligently. "Thank you," I sat up on my bed and gave a little bow, "for getting the drugs to stop."

"It was nothing," she waved me off, "they were going to take you off sooner or later anyway. So how you feeling, yea?"

"Alive," I replied, "which is better than I had hoped for."

"Yea..." she said awkwardly, clearly not knowing how to react to that, "alive is...good, I guess."

I nodded.

"I'm Kushina Uzumaki," she introduced herself, "Jounin of Konoha."

I paused. Should I use my full name? No, while Yagura and my parents were still alive, exposing I was a member of their clan was unwise.

"Kagura," I said curtly "..." then I trailed off. What was I even? "Jinchuuriki of Kiri."

"Yes. I know that," she laughed, pointing at the spot on my belly where the seal was.

"Why am I still alive?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

Kushina shrugged. "I dunno. Ask the Sandaime. Why? Would you prefer to be dead, yea?"

"You end many of your sentences with the word 'yea'," I observed.

She flushed. "It's a verbal tic. I was born with it, yea!"

I cocked my head in confusion, "how? Speech patterns are not genetic."

"Lie down and shut up," she ordered, embarrassed.

I obeyed. Despite the friendly atmosphere, I was still a captive in the custody of Konoha.

Like before, she put her hand on my abdomen and made the seal appear. Then she pulled out a notebook and pen. A intense look of concentration overtook her face as she copied the seal that was inked across my belly.

"Are you a Fuinjutsu master?" I asked when she was done.

"No," she said, sarcasm dripping down from her voice, "just an aspiring tattoo artist seeking inspiration."

At seeing my blank response, she gasped. "Wait... you didn't really believe that, yea? Don't tell me you can't identify sarcasm yet? You're five right? Wait... but aren't kids supposed to be unable to differentiate it?"

"I know sarcasm," I confessed, "but I just don't understand why people use it."

She let out a small sigh of relief, then grinned, "it's funny, yea!"

I shrugged. Perhaps it was something that I would appreciate with time.

"Do you know what they're planning to do with me?" I asked.

"Nope," she replied. "They're still deciding, I think. Most of them don't want to execute you though. I also think the Hokage's kept it a secret that you're a Jinchuuriki. If they ever find out..." she drew an invisible knife across her neck.

"So I'm to stay here until they've decided?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "with me! So from now on, you've gotta call me Onee-san!"

I didn't even call Yagura 'Onii-san'. I adamantly refused her request.

"How cute," she cooed. Contrary to her tone, a malicious aura began to surround her and I swore her hair began to slither like snakes in the air. "You think you have a choice. Need I remind you that as a prisoner, you have to listen to my commands?"

I gulped. She was right.

"Say it," she commanded.

"Onee...san," I mumbled. God, it was emasculating.

I was tackled by her with a bear hug that knocked the wind out of me, followed by her pinching my cheeks ferociously. "Sooooo cute!" She giggled.

Damn it. Satoshi really should've released the Sanbi the moment we walked in.

* * *

Like an annoying fly, Kushina kept returning.

Her visits, while short, were frequent enough to pass the time by however, and I soon found myself looking forward to them.

The fact that she brought chocolates and candies also helped.

Kushina was talkative and loud. It wasn't unusual for medics or Iryo-nins to poke their heads into the room to shush us in the middle of our conversations. She kept asking me questions about my past. At first I thought she was just subtly interrogating me, but as time passed and the questions got weirder, I realized she was just curious.

"You've never had ramen?!" she gasped in mock horror, "I know what I'm bringing you next time!"

I laughed. She was easy to get along with. Sometimes I forgot she was a highly-trained and dangerously skilled ninja. Her very presence brought calm to me, causing me to let down my guard. In that sense, I guess she was the epitome of what a ninja should be.

"Kushina-san," I said, but she gave me a glare. I sighed. "Kushina-neesan," I reluctantly corrected myself. She nodded happily. I had long since stopped seeing her as a threat. If she wanted to do me harm, she would've done so a long time ago. Calling her by her first name had only solidified my view of her. "How come you're always here? Isn't there still a war? Isn't a Jounin on babysitting duty a waste of resources?" I asked.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" she joked, "I'm a combat-specialized Fuinjutsu master. We're pretty rare, and my missions always revolve around dealing with Jinchuurikis. Since you're currently the most dangerous Jinchuuriki threat Konoha is facing, here I am!"

"Oh." I guess that sort of made sense. "Why did you specialize in sealing anyway? Isn't it boring?"

"Boring?" she looked insulted, "only the ignorant and the inept see it that way. Trust me Kagura, _Fuinjutsu_ _is the best_. I'm an Uzumaki, it's in our blood, yea!"

"Uzumaki?" I was baffled. Why would she suddenly bring up her clan name?

She stared at me, bug-eyed. "You've never heard of us? It's only been a few generations... how could the world have forgotten us already!?"

Now that she mentioned it, the word Uzumaki seemed awfully familiar.

"Oh," I said, my memory refreshing itself. "That's the sealing clan! The one that was destroyed in the previous war by..." I stopped mid-sentence.

"Yes," she said grimly. "By you. An alliance between Kiri and the other villages."

"Sorry," I mumbled, "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"It's not your fault," she said, her mood clearly having been dampened. "It was bound to come up sooner or later anyways, yea."

"So you're a surviving Uzumaki?" I asked.

"That I am!" she said proudly, her bubbly personality returning. "The only clan that can stop a Bijuu mid-step! That's me, yea!"

"Huh," I remarked, remembering they were mentioned in one of our textbooks. They were famed for their Fuinjutsu and their trademark red hair. "No wonder you look like a tomato."

* * *

I found out afterwards that there were two ninjas permanently stationed outside my door for security purposes. I found out because they immediately burst into the room when I called for assistance (read screamed for help).

"Let me go!" Kushina yelled, punching and kicking the air as she was dragged away. "I'm gonna teach that kid some respect, yea!"

"Uzumaki-sama," the one restraining her sighed. "I don't know what the boy said, but please calm down. Our orders include protecting the boy from harm until the council decides what to do with him."

She stopped flailing after that, muttering something about how she didn't 'leave the battlefield and that blond sissy to take care of some ungrateful and disrespectful brat' as she was led out.

The other ninja gave me a knowing look once we were alone in the room. "You made fun of her hair, didn't you?"

"I didn't mean to," I protested weakly. I had just learnt that Kushina had sharp nails.

"Yea," he shook his head in resignation, "don't do that."

I could only nod my head.

* * *

Kushina, like always, returned the next day. This time, instead of sweets, she brought a large metal pot instead.

"What's that?" I asked, eyeing it in suspicion. Who knows what strange concoction Kushina would force down my throat as revenge for yesterday?

"Ramen," she said indignantly, noting how I was more than skeptical of her gift. "I said it yesterday, yea? That I'd bring some today so you can try it at least once."

 _Before you die_. No words needed to be said, but the both of us knew what she meant. My fate was still up in the air.

"Oh," I said softly, "thank you. I'd love to try some then."

Her face immediately lit up, and she took her usual spot next to me.

I was still chained to the bed, but the shackles had enough range that I could feed myself when Kushina scooped out a bowl of the noodle-filled broth. I had grown slightly bored with the constant hospital food, even if it wasn't bad. I devoured the break in routine with gusto.

"It's nice," I said between slurps.

"Really?" she seemed relieved, "I'm happy to hear that! Told you ramen was amazing!"

Not wanting to inflate her ego too much, I replied, "I said it's nice, not amazing. I still think sashimi's nicer."

"Tch." She looked sideways, an irritated scowl on her face. "Should've eaten it myself then, you culinary illiterate brat."

The silence that followed was only broken by the sound of me eating ramen. It was clear Kushina had something to say. She wasn't the type to hide her emotions if she didn't need to, and the way she rubbed her hands against her thighs and pursed her lips showed she wanted to get something off her chest.

"I'msorryItriedtomurderyouwhenyoutalkedaboutmyhairyesterday!" she suddenly blurted out.

I swallowed. "What? I couldn't hear that."

She was getting embarrassed, and her blushing was making her face almost as red as her hair. Having wizened up after yesterday, I chose not to let that particular observation escape my lips.

"I'm sorry I over-reacted yesterday when you called me..." she took a deep breath, "when you called me a tomato."

"Oh," I said. She was getting flustered over that? "I'd like to apologize as well... for uhm... calling you that. I didn't know that you were that sensitive about your hair." Honestly, shouldn't a Jounin have better issues to worry about than low self-esteem?

"The other kids used to bully me and call me names when I was little. I've hated that nickname ever since. It's like a trigger for me, if that makes any sense." She started poking her two index fingers together, obviously feeling a little abashed and uncomfortable.

It didn't make sense at all. She was a fully-fledged ninja, but she had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from childhood bullying? Of course, I didn't say that out loud. Who knew what else would flare her temper? Instead, I nodded in agreement with her. "I understand what you mean. I'm short, even for my age. And considering that the other kids in my class were at least double my age, they didn't have many nice things to say to me as well."

"Oh, it must have been tough for you, going to the Academy at such a young age!" Kushina said, pity all over her face.

"Yes," I said wryly, "it was awfully difficult beating those kids up and participating in the graduation ceremony within a year."

For a moment, her nose scrunched up in befuddlement. Then Kushina started to laugh. "There! You did it, yea!"

"Did what?" I asked.

"Sarcasm! See? Isn't it fun, yea?" she was literally bouncing in her seat in delight.

"Oh, I suppose I did." I admitted, "you were right though, it is rather amusing to tell an obvious lie like that."

There was a sudden knock on the door. Without waiting, the visitor entered.

He wasn't wearing armor this time, but instead he donned the ceremonial white robe tinged with red. A square hat on his head had the character for 'Fire' on the corner above his eyes.

"Sandaime-sama!" Kushina stood straight, rapt in attention.

"Kushina." If the Hokage was surprised by her presence, he did not show it. "I'm glad to see that you still visit the boy even if your duty is done."

I blinked in surprise. Kushina hadn't been ordered to visit me daily? That was news to me. I'd always assumed someone, namely the Hokage himself, had ordered her to visit me daily to check up on me.

"I didn't want him getting lonely," she laughed nervously, playing with her hair. "I know what's it like to be thrust into a new village all by yourself as a kid, yea. It's not very fun." Oh, had Kushina been sent to Konoha from Uzushiogakure as a child? Why though? They were allies, but perhaps their relationship was solidified through an exchange of hostages?

The Hokage raised his eyebrow in what looked like amusement. "True... but the circumstances are hardly the same."

"They are similar enough," Kushina said, a surprising amount of steel behind her voice. For a few seconds, Kushina and the Hokage exchanged stares, and I had a feeling that I was missing out on a silent conversation between the two of them.

The Hokage sighed in defeat. "Fair enough. But your stay in Konoha has come to an end. We cannot afford to have you too far away from the frontlines for too long. As we speak, The Hachibi Jinchuuriki and the Raikage's son are converging towards Minato's position. I would like you to back him up."

Kushina stiffened. "Right away, Hokage-sama. I'll leave right now if you want me to." And strangely enough, she seemed almost excited to rush back to war. Still though, if Kushina had so much experience and confidence fighting Jinchuuriki, perhaps I should ask her in the future how to utilize the Sanbi's power locked within me.

Then again, it would probably raise all kinds of alarm bells if I suddenly asked her how to access my Jinchuuriki powers.

"Yes," the Hokage nodded, "now would be good. As fast as he may be, his team is tired and the Kumo-nin will catch up to them soon."

Kushina bowed, "Yes, Hokage-sama. Please excuse me then." Just before she turned to leave, she suddenly stopped. "Hokage-sama. Can I ask... what will happen to Kagura?" There was a touch of concern in her voice that rattled me slightly. Did she really have time to care about me, a foreign spy? This Minato person seemed awfully dear to her, and his life was currently at stake.

The Hokage turned to look at me. I met his gaze unflinchingly, silently daring him to tell her the truth.

"He will live," he finally said.

Her relief was nearly audible, and with one last smile and a wave to me, she left. "I'll see you soon, Kagura!" she sang as she skipped away.

"She likes you," the Hokage noted when he was certain that she was no longer within the vicinity.

I frowned, "you make it seem as though it's an achievement. People like her tend to like others easily and be well-liked in return."

"People like her?" the Hokage turned to give me a strange look. "You're five. How many people like her have you even met?"

"Zero," I replied.

"She's one-of-a-kind," the Hokage agreed. "But you're wrong. She wasn't well-liked at first. In fact many people didn't trust her, and even feared her when she first arrived."

"Why?" I asked. I was intrigued. Was there something about Kushina I had missed?

"Many reasons," the Hokage said, "her clan, her skills, the fact she was from another village. Needless to say, she didn't have a very happy childhood here."

"Why are you telling me this?" I could tell the Hokage wanted me to know this for some reason, but I just couldn't figure out why.

"So you won't lose hope. Kushina is well-liked by most now, mainly because she has worked very hard to earn their trust and acknowledgement. I advise you do the same."

"You can't lose something you never had. Hope is a dangerous drug," was my immediate response. The Hokage looked at me funnily, and the hidden meaning of what he said finally sunk into me. "You want me to join Konoha," I said calmly. I had anticipated this. The alternatives had been a prisoner exchange or death.

"Yes, there is a lot of potential in you."

"Because I'm a Jinchuuriki," I said.

"That is a factor," the Hokage nodded deeply, "but one only a few people know. I convinced the others to accept you for your intelligence. They were willing because you are young, and thus your loyalty to Kiri is shaky at best."

"I was willing to kill myself for Kiri when they asked me to," I pointed out decidedly.

"Obedience and loyalty are very different."

"What makes you think I'll ever be loyal to Konoha?" I asked.

"I have a student that you remind me of. Prodigious. Logical. Cold. Yet, his loyalty to Konoha is unquestionable. Konoha possesses one thing that allows us to have the lowest missing-nin rate among all the major villages."

"And what's that?"

"The Will of Fire." I looked at him incredulously. He looked completely serious.

"In the Academy, we always made fun of Konoha for being the softest," I said, "it seems in your village it is something to be proud of."

The Hokage took a puff from the pipe I hadn't even realized he'd lit. Shouldn't smoking be banned in hospitals? "Whose word will you take? The one that's winning the war? Or the one that throws a five year old Jinchuuriki at their enemy as a final act of desperation?"

I winced. He was right. This whole operation had been a last-ditch attempt to knock down Konoha a peg or two before the war ended, and it had failed miserably.

"If I say no?"

"We extract the Sanbi from you, a process I'm sure you're aware will kill you. Even I am not so kind to refuse such a present," the Hokage said remorselessly.

"I have a brother,-" I said.

"He will become your enemy, like everyone else in Kiri."

"-will Konoha make me strong enough to kill him?"

The Hokage clearly hadn't expected me to continue speaking, his eyebrows rising a few millimeters before settling back down to fit his contemplative look. "You know, when most turncoats request for special allowances for their families... that is not what they usually ask for."

"My brother defeated me in the graduation, and it cost me my life." I bit out, "I am still slightly upset that I lost to him, no matter how close."

"True strength comes from protecting what you love, not defeating what you hate," the Hokage said.

"And if there is nothing I love?" I questioned back.

The Hokage looked at me, partly disturbed but mostly sad. "Then you are going to have a hard time in Konoha."

"I haven't even agreed to join Konoha," I reminded.

"You might be cold and emotionally stunted, but you're not stupid." Naturally, I nodded. "Of course you will join Konoha, because deep down you want to live." Of course he was right. There was no reason for me to die now that an avenue of escape had shown itself. I had only gone so far to risk my life because the Mizukage was my superior and following orders was my duty. But if the Mizukage was no longer my leader... then what reason did I have to kill myself for Kiri? There was nothing there but people that wanted me dead.

"Aren't you worried I might betray you and escape?" Still, the Hokage's offer seemed too sweet, and I couldn't resist being suspicious.

"I'm willing to take that wager. By the time you're actually strong enough to do that, I guarantee that there will be something here holding you back. If there isn't..." he shrugged, "we can send people after you, but I doubt a trained Jinchuuriki-Prodigy would have a problem with that."

The Hokage sounded completely sincere albeit with a serious note to his voice. I thought about it for a while.

"Do we have a deal?" The Hokage stuck out his hand when I was done.

The chains attached to my arm rattled as I reached out to shake.

"Yes we do, Hokage-sama."

"Well then," the Hokage seemed pleased, "welcome to Konoha, Kagura."

* * *

The Hokage left right after that. Obviously, with a village to lead and a war to fight, he was a busy man. Our little meeting might have cost him literal lives.

So once again, I was left alone in the confines of my ward-cell. The corners of my lip curled into a smile. On top of my natural intellect, I now had a Bijuu inside of me. My life would not be cut short prematurely, allowing me to fully realize my potential and actually grow.

Assuming I didn't die midway.

I didn't know whether the Hokage got into my head, or if I was feeling sentimental due to my new lease on life, but a little voice in my head asked a question that curbed what little excitement had built up.

 _'But what will you even use your strength for?'_

In the past, the answer was simple: to survive. But with my future relatively secure and the end of the war looming ahead, it no longer felt compelling enough.

I was not a Konoha-nin - not yet, anyway - I did not have that fiery instinct to protect and defend things I held dear. Nor was wanton destruction an answer - that would degrade me into a simple murderer.

Power was a means. Nothing more than the ability to control and influence my own fate. It was the path, not the destination. I would become powerful - that was something I was certain of - but now I only needed a goal.

For now, defeating Yagura would suffice.

* * *

"You will not become a Shinobi of Konoha."

I stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, at the Hokage, who returned to studying the maps on his table as though he had just said the most logical thing in the world.

"Why not?" I asked, trying to hide my shock and act more curious.

The slight grin on his face was all I needed to see and I realized that there was a second layer of meaning under his words.

"Because Karatachi Kagura is dead. In two weeks, the Mizukage will be receiving two charred corpses, one of which will bear a remarkable resemblance to you."

"They'll test it," I said. "Genentics, dental, and all kinds of other records."

"Of course they will. But they will find nothing amiss. One of my students dabbles greatly in biological experiments. Making fake dead bodies is a forte of our village."

"So, because I'm dead," I said, realizing the Hokage's plan, "it would be odd if someone bearing my name and face suddenly appears in the registry of the Shinobi Corps or the Academy," I concluded.

"Correct," the Hokage said, completely unimpressed at my deductive abilities. Instead, he started shifting around the various war-pieces placed on the map and took a step back. "I have no doubt Kiri still has contacts here and while that information is restricted, the whole point of spies is to obtain restricted information." He must have found something wrong, because he suddenly wiped the table clean, and placed the tiles back in their original position. "If your village discovers their dead Jinchuuriki is indeed alive and in enemy hands, things will get much more complicated."

"Won't they know when the Sanbi fails to ressurect itself?" I asked.

"It takes at least a decade for Bijuus to reform. By the time they realize, it'll be too late anyway," the Hokage said calmly.

I shifted uncomfortably where I stood. "So what will I be doing then?"

"Training of course. Can't let that talent go to waste. You'll just happen to be an ordinary citizen of Konoha who learnt how to use chakra. Naturally, there are problems with this arrangement, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

I blinked a few times. Did the Hokage not see the flaw with that plan? "You do realize then that there is no legal reason for me to actually _stay in Konoha?_ You can't dispatch hunter-nin teams to capture wayward civilians. They have the right to leave."

"True," the Hokage said, redirecting his attention back at me again. "But a wayward Jinchuuriki, civilian or not, is more than enough reason for me to dispatch Jounin and ANBU teams. Besides, I'm the Hokage, I can alter the rules whenever I want."

"You have thought this out," I admitted begrudgingly.

The Hokage offered a chuckle, "of course I did. I have to - I'm the Hokage. That being said, I believe you have an appointment with Inoichi soon? He tells me entering your mind is almost as tiring as the frontlines."

Yamanaka Inoichi. The mindreader the Hokage selected to peer through my memories and judge my personality. Without another word, my ANBU escort led me out towards the Torture Interrogation Department once again.

They always blindfolded me during the journeys, and like before, the path we were taking this time was different than before.

Unable to exactly pinpoint where the T&I Branch was, all I knew was that it was underground. After a series of stairs and doors, I was forced into a chair.

"Hello, Kagura-kun. It's nice to see you again."

Somebody untied the blindfold, and there was Yamanaka Inoichi sitting across me. His light blond hair was tied into a short ponytail as usual, but unlike our previous appointments, this time he was dressed for war, his bodysuit covered with an armored vest.

"Yamanaka-san," I greeted, "back to the frontlines already?"

"That's right, this will be our last appointment for a while. Let's make it a pleasant one, okay?"

In the past, they used to chain down my whole body, fearing I would attack Inoichi while he was vulnerable.

I guess it was a symbol of trust now that they only bolted my hands to the armrest instead.

"As usual," Inoichi instructed calmly, "just be yourself. Trying to cloud your thoughts with distractions will only make things more painful for the both of us, okay?"

I nodded. It had not been fun the first time we did this. I had thrown at him useless memory after memory, and he had torn right through them like they were paper until he found what he was looking for - memories of the Sanbi. It had left me with a pounding headache for several days as well a distorted sense of my past.

This time, when I felt Inoichi's presence pressing against my psyche, I welcomed him in. I could feel him prodding, like a child running their finger along a shelf of books until he found the title he wanted.

The first time had been the sealing process. After that, Kirikagure's infrastructure and layout. Then he had gone after key personnel, including the Mizukage. I remembered the amusement he shared with me when he saw the memory of the Mizukage asking me to keep his Iryo-jutsu a secret.

Whoops.

On the previous trip, he sought out the the Academy syllabus. That included our graduation ceremony.

 _"I've looked through Kiri-nin's minds before,"_ Inoichi had said after that, clearly shaken by what he saw. _"But I have never witnessed your infamous graduation exam with such vivid clarity. It is unthinkable that children as young as yourself are forced to fight to the death every year."_

 _"How is it any different from war? I'm certain Yagura is out there as we speak, fighting for his life if he is even still alive."_ I responded.

 _"It's just not right."_

 _"To be a Shinobi is to dance with the Shinigami. That is the lesson taught to us during_ _graduation."_

Inoichi had not managed to come up with a response to that.

I wondered what Inoichi was looking for this time. What aspect of Kiri's defense did he plan to siphon off from my brain today?

 _'No no, I'm not here to learn about Kiri,'_ Inoichi's voice rang through my head, as if he could hear what I was thinking.

 _'I can hear what you are thinking,' he said, clearly enjoying himself as he wandered around my mind._

 _If not Kiri, then what?_ I asked him mentally.

 _'You. I want to learn about Karatachi Kagura. Your loyalties. Your weaknesses. Your strengths. What makes you tick and what makes you shine. Goals and aspirations. Fears.'_

 _Oh,_ I thought, somewhat disappointed. _Let me know what you find then. I'd like to know as well._

Even though I couldn't actually see Inoichi's mental form, I could tell he had a mystified look.

We didn't talk anymore after that, and silence ensued as my life flashed before my eyes. When we were done and Inoichi returned back to his body, he gave me a long hard look.

Then he shook his head.

"I think we're done, Kagura. Do enjoy the rest of your time in Konoha." Casting one last, unreadable look at me, he turned around and left.

I wonder what he saw.

* * *

When the end of the war was announced several weeks later, I was still under house-arrest. I still wasn't allowed to leave the house unsupervised, and being escorted around by ninjas or even ANBU would only raise more eyebrows. So I watched from my window as people spilled into the streets to celebrate.

There were fireworks, confetti, people playing music in the open. A cacophony of laughter, sobs, and whoops of joy assaulted my eardrums for what felt like eternity. And then whichever ANBU it was that was assigned to watch me today decided to reveal himself. I recognized him. The dog mask, the spiky gray hair - he was the one following us in the forest and the one that killed Satoshi.

"So... it's over," he said.

"It appears so," I said.

"Would you like to go outside?" he asked, "there will definitely be a festival later in celebration."

We had festivals in Kiri. One at the end of the monsoons, when the fish would return to the shallower seas. Boatloads of fish would be displayed on the open streets, and passers-by could cut and tear off whatever they wanted and eat it on the spot free-of-charge. Yagura would eat only swordfish, and I would hunt for the tuna.

"Wouldn't that cause problems?" I asked, gesturing to his ANBU costume.

"It's normal for people to wear masks during festivals in Konoha. Many stalls sell them. You will need to wear one too as well. I can find one for you later."

"I wouldn't mind," I decided. I was curious to see what festivals were like in Konoha. Kiri's festivals were revolved around the sea and its bounties. "Thank you."

The ANBU nodded wordlessly before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

I remained sitting by my window, watching the people in the streets below. My new home was tiny. It only had one room, a small toilet, and a kitchen that served as a dining area as well. There was barely enough room for my bookshelf and table. Staring out the window was the best way to pass time for me, considering I already finished reading whatever books had been left behind by the previous owners and wasn't allowed to go out and buy new ones yet.

Slowly, the crowds dispersed as the sun began to set. There were no more hugs in the street. No more firecrackers. Instead people got to work instead. They brought out lanterns and hung them in the street. Fishing lines, ninjas wires, even laundry poles were used as makeshift hangers for them. Soon, every street in Konoha had a soft red glow from countless red orbs draped across them.

Restaurants and other shops began to pile out tables that lined the street. They stacked their wares and their products on it. Trinkets, toys, clothes. A pet shop across my street put out water-filled cartons of fish, and placed tiny stools for people to sit around it. I recognized this - Yagura and I used to catch fish in stalls like this back in Kiri as well. A weapons shop owner started sticking inflated balloons on his wall, and a table filled with shuriken and kunai stood behind him. I made a mental note to try out that stall the first chance I could. Before long, an aromatic scent of barbecued and grilled meat wafted through the window and into my nose.

"Excited?" a voice came from behind me.

I nearly jumped in fright. It was the ANBU, and he was not alone. Another masked ninja - this one a woman with short brown hair - was standing next to him. She waved to me. "Hi! I'm... uh," she pointed to her mask, which had whiskers on it, "Neko."

She sounded cheerful - probably not part of ANBU. A friend of the gray-haired ANBU?

Neither of them were wearing ninja attire. The gray-haired one was dressed casually while the girl was wearing a kimono. I looked down at myself - the Hokage had given me new clothes, but I found myself wearing my Kiri outfit more often than not.

"Get changed," the ANBU commanded, "it's a festival. At least wear clothes that don't have holes in them." Then he tossed me something from the backpack he was wearing. I caught it. A white mask, a demon's face painted on it. "It's popular with the kids, apparently," he shrugged.

"Thanks," I said, putting it on. My vision was only slightly impaired. I wondered if ANBU experienced similar sensations when they wore their masks. Didn't it get in the way of fighting? Every breath I took only heated up the air trapped between my face and the mask, making it hot and stuffy underneath it. I took my mask off, happy to breathe fresh air again.

"Suffocating, isn't it?" the ANBU asked. I nodded. "You'll get used to it. Every Shinobi needs a mask."

"That's just you, Inu," laughed Neko. "Nobody else wears a mask the whole day."

They waited outside as I changed. There was a yukata in the pile of clothes given to me, but I didn't actually know how to wear one. Instead, I followed Inu's lead and chose a casual outfit of shorts and a shirt.

"I'm done," I said as I walked out.

Inu gave me a once-over and starting walking. I took his silence as approval. I was surprised when Neko made a move to hold my hand and I shirked away.

"There'll be throngs of people. I don't want you getting separated from us," she explained gently.

"I'm not a baby," I said.

"No, you're not," she agreed, "that's why I'm not carrying you. But you are still a child, so too bad." This time, when she reached out, I grudgingly wrapped my fingers around her long slender ones. I was a ninja all but in name. These were my guards, not my babysitters. That's what I told myself, at least.

Neko was right. There were a lot of people. I didn't realize this before, but Konoha probably had the largest percentage of civilians among the Great Five. Most Shinobi were probably still out in the field, doing cleanup and whatnot, leaving majority of the people present in the village as civilians.

With the stores taking up the sides of the roads and the huge crowds, it was difficult to walk without bumping into others. Neko caught me looking at a child who sat on top of his father's shoulders.

"No," I immediately said.

I couldn't see her face, but her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Totally not cute at all," she whispered audibly.

"So, Kagura, what do you want to do?" asked Inu.

My stomach growled in response before I could say anything.

"Good choice," laughed Neko, "I love eating in festivals like this too!"

We didn't eat at one particular place. Instead, Inu and Neko bought a little bit of everything from the different stalls.

"Do you like takoyaki?" asked Neko as she bit one off the stick. Her mask was slightly lifted so she could eat, and I could faintly see purple markings on her cheeks.

"We have them in Kiri too," I nodded as I took a bite. I noticed Inu wasn't eating at all.

"Don't mind him," said Neko. "He rarely eats in public since he's always wearing a mask. And not the ANBU mask. I'm talking about another cloth mask he wears underneath. He's very shy about his face!"

"Neko," Inu said, "stop filling the boy's head with lies. I'm just not hungry."

The two of them must have been teammates. They gelled well with one another, and even their movements were occasionally in-sync. Or perhaps they were something even more...

"Are the two of you dating?" I asked.

Neko made an 'eep', and started to choke on her food. Inu just tilted his head curiously and said, "why yes, how did you know?"

"KA- NU!" Oh. Did Neko slip up and almost say Inu's name? Then there was a grunt of pain, and there was takoyaki stick plunged into Inu's arm. Neko had actually stabbed him with it, I realized.

"Ow," said Inu, completely unaffected.

"Now who's filling the boy's head with lies?" huffed Neko.

"You hit my artery by the way," said Inu calmly.

"What?" Immediately Neko pulled the stick out, and a copious amount of blood began to spill out. Her hands glowed green as she placed it over the wound and it soon re-knit itself. "There, good as new."

"You're a Iryo-nin?" I asked after watching that display.

"Yep," Neko answered.

"I thought you'd all still be busy. Even if the war's over, there's still plenty of wounded that need healing."

Neko straightened, and she looked at Inu, who shrugged.

"Told you he's smart."

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," Neko knelt in front of me. "Even ninjas need to take a break, you know? It feels good to just let loose every once in a while."

* * *

The rest of the night went by quickly. We tried out many of the games stalls. The owner of the weapons store banned us from his game stall when he discovered we were ninjas and made us return all the prizes.

Inu was right, though. Masks were plenty common. Kids ran up and down the streets wearing them.

"I'm the Yellow Flash! Fear my teleporting wrath!" shouted one as he ran by.

Neko laughed. I felt slightly amused as well. Namikaze Minato was a living legend in Konoha, and barely a day could go by without me hearing about his exploits, even when I was cooped up at home. Needless to say, I was fairly certain he would never say something like that.

"You have good chakra control by the way," said Inu, gesturing at the bag of fishes I'd won in the fishing stall.

"Oh, you saw it huh," I said, slightly disappointed he'd noticed. Unlike the kunai/shuriken-throwing store, this store didn't have a 'no ninjas' sign. So I'd coated my paper net with a thin film of chakra, and scooping fishes out had been easy afterwards. "You have a doujutsu, don't you?" I asked.

If he was surprised he didn't show it. "You don't need a doujutsu to see that. Just common sense," he replied. Then he quickened his pace, not wanting to speak on that subject anymore.

There must have been some kind of signal, because all of a sudden Neko straightened.

"Uh oh, seems like another batch of wounded have returned. I must return to the hospital now. Bye Inu, and it was nice meeting you Kagura!" With a puff of smoke, she vanished.

"Hmmmm, we should get going too. It's getting late," said Inu.

"I need a glass bowl first," I said.

"What for?"

I pointed at the bag of goldfish.

"Alright. One more store, then we're going back."

* * *

Having pets definitely made time go slightly faster. Between physical and chakra exercises, I was still bored out of my mind. So I felt no small sense of relief when I was summoned to the Hokage's office again a week later.

I hadn't seen Inu or Neko since the festival and it was a boar-masked ANBU who escorted me there.

"Hello, Kagura-kun. I heard that you enjoyed the festival."

"Hokage-sama," I greeted, even though I wasn't even looking at him. "Thank you for letting me go." Instead I was looking at the third man present in the office. His green jacket and forehead protector indicated his status as a ninja, though that should've been obvious the moment I saw his eyes.

They were yellow and slitted, like a snake's, and they gazed at me with a predatory curiosity.

"Who's this?" the man asked in a raspy voice. Coupled with his pale complexion and lean build, I would have assumed he was sick. However, the man gave off a overbearing presence that made me raise my guard extra high.

"Karatachi Kagura. A defector from Kiri," the Hokage said.

"Defector? He's a child. Wait... Karatachi? I've heard that name before... Do you know of a man called Yura?"

Karatachi Yura. Of course I knew the name. "That's my father," I answered.

"Oh." There was a pause. "He's dead now, by the way."

"Orochimaru!"

I froze the moment the Hokage yelled out the name. This was Orochimaru? One of the Hokage's students, the Sannin? The Snake Summoner? I could feel my jaw unhinging.

"Kagura." The Hokage's voice softened. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

I was confused for the briefest of moments, then I remembered what Orochimaru said. "Oh, it's alright. My father means nothing to me now. Didn't you say it yourself? All Kiri-nin are my enemies, family included."

The Hokage stared at me. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "I like this one," the Sannin finally said.

His student's words jarred the Hokage back, and he sighed. "Good. He's going to be your student."

"What?" Orochimaru and I said in unison. Then we looked at each other. Then back at the Hokage.

"He needs a mentor. And due to his circumstances, he can't join a normal team or even register as a Shinobi. I need someone I can trust implicitly to train him in the shadows."

"Danzo," Orochimaru said promptly.

"I said 'someone I can trust implicitly'."

"Why me? Why not Jiraiya? Or even Tsunade? He looks a bit like Nawaki, so if you-"

"Tsunade has already made it clear she wants nothing to do with our village. I won't besiege her with this. Besides, she already has Shizune, and Jiraiya has Minato. You need a protege as well."

"I have Anko," Orochimaru pointed out.

"Who was part of your Genin team and has yet to be officially signed on as your apprentice. Though if you wish to," the Hokage raised a sheet of paper, "you can do it right here."

"Give me that," said Orochimaru as he took the form. Glancing over it, he quickly took a pen from the table and signed it. "Now pawn him off to someone else, I don't have time to watch over two brats."

From the surprised expression on the Hokage's face, it seemed as though he hadn't expected his student to do that. "You've grown fond of her," he smiled.

"I lost a bet," grimaced Orochimaru. "i didn't think she'd be able to summon Manda on the first day."

"She did what!"

"Yes. It was quite the hassle trying to convince him not to eat her. She's quite traumatized as well. I don't think she'll try it again for a while."

"Orochimaru, please reconsider. Among the three of you, you're the most suited to train him."

"Why does it have to be the three of us? There's Minato, too. And even his student, Hatake. That one's bright. Graduated when he was five, right?"

It felt slightly odd, watching the Sannin debate with his leader over me. Though the news that Konoha had five-year-old ninjas running around as well was quite surprising to me.

The Hokage sighed. "This does not leave this room, understand? Even Danzo doesn't know."

"Fine, what's so special about him?"

"He's a Jinchuuriki."

At once, Orochimaru's eyes sharpened towards me. He walked straight to me, in front of the door, where I had not moved since the conversation started.

"Which one?" he demanded.

"The Sanbi," I answered, trying hard not to feel intimidated by him.

For a moment, the Snake Sannin seemed to consider it. "Why not Kushina?" he asked.

The Hokage shook his head. "She will help with the Jinchuuriki aspect, but her skillset is too specialized to teach him the other disciplines effectively." That made sense. While her Sealing skills would be useful when I finally learnt to use the Sanbi's powers, I highly doubted she was as good as Orochimaru in the other ninja arts.

Orochimaru grit his teeth. "Fine. I'll take him in. But I want something in return."

The Hokage pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew this was coming. "How many?" he asked in defeat.

"Twenty."

"I can only spare fifteen."

"Good enough."

"I'll inform Ibiki to bring them to you once he's done with them."

Satisfied, Orochimaru turned around to face me.

"Let's go..." He looked at the Hokage.

"Kagura," I supplied helpfully, when the Hokage rolled his eyes instead of replying.

"Okay. Let's go, Kagura-kun."

I followed Orochimaru out.

* * *

 **End**

As always, do leave a review! Fav and Follow if you want to see more, thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Sensei, what's this?"

No sooner had I entered the Sannin's lab before I found myself assaulted by a purple blur. My instincts kicked in and I tried to counter the attack my flipping the unknown assailant. Instead, I felt a leg sweep me off my feet and, before I could re-adjust my position, a hand pulled me towards the ground by grabbing the back of my shirt.

A body collided into mine and I crashed onto the floor painfully. An older girl was straddling me, a large smile on her face. She had purple hair that formed a spiky ponytail, and she was still panting from our little exchange. The forehead protector above her eyebrows denoted that she was at least a Genin. No wonder I had lost. Then her smile dropped after she got a good look at me.

"What, it's just a brat!"

"Anko," chided Orochimaru, "I thought I told you to rest until you've recovered from your chakra exhaustion."

"I'm feeling better already!" she flexed her arm for show, "and besides, taking down this brat was easy peasy." Then she looked down at me again. "Now Sensei, who's he?"

Orochimaru sighed, "your new junior. Since you're now my elder apprentice, it's your job to get him up to task."

"Huh?" Anko brought a finger to her chin. "Apprentice?" Her head tilted. "Does that mean... Sensei! You kept your word! Alright! Now everybody's going to know I'm a Sannin's apprentice!" Her eyes lit up, and she started to pump her fist in the air excitedly. Then as quicklt as she started, she stopped. "Wait," she said, turning to look at me. "Junior? You mean you took this little punk in as well?"

"Yes, the Hokage asked me to," Orochimaru said as he began to fiddle with some vials containing a red liquid. "It's not official, and it's technically a secret. So you can't go blabbing your big mouth to everyone who he is."

"What?!" She complained, "that's totally not fair! I had to summon Manda to earn that apprenticeship! Now you tell me this little kid gets it too because some old geezer asked you to? I nearly _died_!"

"That 'old geezer'", Orochimaru said in amusement, "is the commander-in-chief of our village. So yes. If it makes you feel any better, I am not very happy about it either."

Anko crossed her arms and huffed, "hmph. So what's so special about him? Sure he's got some moves, but he looks pretty normal to me."

"Apparently he's a genius. A prodigy. On the same caliber as Hatake Kakashi. He nearly graduated at the age of five from Kirigakure's Academy."

"Pfft," she scoffed, unimpressed. "Nearly graduated. Hatake actually did graduate and - wait." She suddenly looked at Orochimaru again, "did you say Kirigakure? Aren't they super hardcore there? Like deathmatch hardcore?"

Orochimaru feigned surprise. "Oh? Did I not mention? He's from Kiri. He was sent here to be a sleeper agent but he turned himself in when we caught his handler," the Sannin lied smoothly.

Throughout the whole conversation, I was still lying on the ground with Anko sitting on me. She'd placed herself on my center of gravity, preventing me from getting up. She brought her face uncomfortably close to mine, like she was trying to inspect every pore on my skin.

"You're from Kiri, eh?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Please get off me. You're quite heavy."

There was a sting of pain across my cheek and I realized I'd been slapped.

"Oi oi," she put her arms on her hips. "What kind of manners do they teach at Kiri? Don't you know you're never supposed to comment on a woman's weight?"

She couldn't have been that much older than me. She'd started to develop her breasts already, which would place her somewhere from eleven to thirteen. When I pointed that out to her, I got another slap.

"What was that for!" I demanded.

She smirked. "You're not supposed to ask a woman for her age, either!"

Orochimaru brought his hand to his face. "Anko," he said, "please get off him. All this ruckus is annoying."

"Say, 'I'm sorry for calling you fat, Anko-senpai'."

"But I never called you fat!" I protested.

" _Say it._ " From her pouch, she pulled out a kunai and licked its edge sadistically. "Or _I'll carve it onto you_."

Flashbacks of an innocent past hit me. Back to the days when I called Konoha-nin soft. How wrong I was.

I said it.

She beamed at me, the kunai in her hand seemingly vanishing into thin air. "Was that so hard?" she asked. Then she got up and gave a little curtsy, as if trying to convince me there was some shred of decency and civility within her. "I'm Mitarashi Anko, the Sannin Orochimaru's apprentice, future badass of Konoha!"

"Kagura," I said as I stood up. Surprisingly, she helped me up. "Karatachi Kagura."

"Good good," Orochimaru seemed tired, "now that you've both made up, get the hell out of my lab. There are some child-unfriendly activities about to take place."

Anko smiled at me, "he means human experimentation." Why did she look so happy when she said that? Grabbing my hand, she began to pull me. "C'mon, let's go, my cute little kouhai!"

"Where are we going, Anko?" I asked. She glared at me, and I added a reluctant 'Senpai' at the end of my question. Were all Konoha females so nitpicky when it came to honorifics?

"I'm going to teach you the rules of being an awesome ninja!"

And so up the stairs of Orochimaru's underground laboratory we went.

* * *

"Inoichi. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

The blond man bowed towards his leader. "It's no problem, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe and gestured for the Yamanka heir to sit. Inoichi might not know it yet, but he would become clan head in a few short weeks. Many clan heads, including the Yamanaka, had grown tired after the war. It was time for the next generation to take lead, a movement that Hiruzen intended to join as well. Inoichi had proven himself worthy and ready, both on and off the battlefield. That was why he was willing to trust the man with information even Danzo had not been privy too.

"Inoichi, I may need you to do another session with Kagura-kun." Hiruzen had no time for small talk. The post-war paperwork was in full swing and he was already behind schedule.

"Why?" the blond man asked. "I haven't even given you my report after the previous session."

There had been no time, with Inoichi returning to the war zone and Hiruzen busy with work. With information as sensitive as this, only verbal reports were secure enough, and truth be told, Hiruzen had completely forgot he was missing one.

"Orochimaru may have let it slip that he killed Kagura's father. Kagura says he is unaffected, but I want to know how the boy has really taken the news, and if we are required to pull him out of Orochimaru's tutelage." Hiruzen sighed as Inoichi's eyes widened. Perhaps his biggest failure as a teacher towards Orochimaru was that he never taught him how to relate with others. The Snake Sannin could put up a fake front, but only during missions, dropping the friendly facade once there was no need for it anymore.

Inoichi stood straight. "I believe there is no need for concern, Hokage-sama. Kagura will be fine."

He took a puff from his pipe. "What makes you say that?"

Inoichi took a few furtive glances around the room, making sure it was devoid of eavesdroppers or bugs. "Hokage-sama, do you remember that Root Agent we captured?"

Of course Hiruzen had remembered. Danzo kept a tight leash on all his men, and getting their hands on one of them without him knowing had been most difficult. "He died once you breached his mental defenses, didn't he?" He hadn't expected Danzo to place self-destruct seals and mechanisms on his agents, and his caution cost Hiruzen precious information.

Inoichi nodded. "I didn't get to peer into his memories, but I did catch a glimpse of his personality."

"And?"

Inoichi swallowed. "Karatachi Kagura's personality bears an uncanny resemblance to his."

"What are you saying, that Kagura-kun's a Root operative?"

Inoichi quickly shook his head. "No, Hokage-sama. His memories of Kiri are authentic. What I'm trying to say is that Kagura was born with a personality that Danzo's agents spent years of conditioning and training to mold."

"Emotionless robots?" Hiruzen asked.

"Something similar," Inoichi said. "His emotional output is minimal. Flashes of anger. Bursts of joy. Bouts of fear. Rarely anything more than primal responses to stimuli. More than that, he has complete ownership and mastery of his emotions."

Hiruzen arched an eyebrow. "What does that entail exactly?"

"It means that he can insert and remove any emotion any time. In other words, when he told you he cut off all ties with Kiri, he was being serious. I felt it. At that very moment, all emotional links with Kirigakure and his memories of it were severed. He truly would not have felt anything when he learnt his father was dead."

Hiruzen pursed his lips. Was this trouble? Or was it a blessing?. "And his emotions for Konoha?" he asked.

"The same, Hokage-sama. He built a favorable attachment to it overnight once he took up your offer. He has genuine desires to become a Konoha-ninja."

"Such an ability is dangerous," noted Hiruzen. "The ability to tear down and reconstruct his loyalties in the blink of an eye. It might even label him a flight risk."

"His feelings will not change if the status quo is not disturbed. It is not driven by the desire to change sides, but the _necessity_ to change sides. It's happened several times in the past. The first was when his parents were deployed to the frontlines, and Kagura cut all feelings towards them to avoid being hurt. The second was the day before his graduation, and he removed all feelings of attachment to his brother, Yagura, in order to maximize his performance. And lastly, the most recent was when you coerced him to join Konoha. In all these cases, it was like his previous experiences with the parties no longer affected his present view of them." When Inoichi was done explaining, Hiruzen continued to sit in his chair quietly.

He had been willing to take the gamble that Kagura would form bonds and grow to love Konoha. It seemed that this was difficult - the boy was emotionally stunted. That in itself was not a major problem. Orochimaru and Hatake Kakashi had been underdeveloped there as well. The bigger problem was that Kagura was able to wipe out whatever feelings of belonging he had amassed whenever he wanted. _Flight risk. Ticking time bomb._ Such words began to play themselves in his mind over and over again. Suddenly, the option to execute the boy had regained its appeal.

Hiruzen took another puff. He would not give in to his fears. Konoha was better than this. "Inoichi, you said his emotions are rarely anything more than primal responses. What are the exceptions?"

Inoichi stiffened. "Kushina Uzumaki. I can't call it joy or happiness. But the boy did feel reassured in her presence."

Hiruzen frowned, considering the possibilities. Could it simply be a product of Kushina's natural personality? Or perhaps it was something deeper, a subtle effect that Jinchuuriki had towards one another? "We will need to expose him to more people and see how he reacts. Continue to meet him once a month, Inoichi. Inform me of any developments."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

* * *

"Anko-senpai."

"Yes, Kagura-kouhai?"

"I wish you would stop calling me that. Kagura is fine."

"But it's more fun to call you Kagura-kouhai. Aha! Your eye twitched again!"

I sighed. And this was an apprentice of a Sannin. Then again, it was an open secret that the strongest ninjas tended to be eccentric. I wondered where I was on that scale.

 _Probably nowhere as high as Anko_ , I thought as I witnessed her eating her twelfth stick of dango.

"You sure you don't want more?" she asked when she saw me looking.

I shook my head. Like most regular human beings, three sticks had been enough for me, even if she was the one treating.

"Come on, we have to celebrate! My apprenticeship with Orochi-sensei is official now! You know who else was the apprentice of a Sannin? Namikaze Minato, that's who! And I'm gonna kick even more ass than him!"

"Oh? Did someone call me?" a male voice asked from behind.

The fist that Anko pumped into the air became flaccid. Her face paled, and she pointed behind me. "You're... you're..." She began to stutter.

Calmly, I turned around in my seat.

The first thing I registered was the blond hair. It was wild and unruly. Sparkling blue eyes and pearl white teeth greeted me. The man sitting behind me waved. "Yo, I'm Namikaze Minato. Couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Congratulations on becoming Orochimaru's student!"

Anko's gaze averted downwards, and her blush reached all the way to her ears. "Tha-than-thank you, Namikaze-sama." I blinked repeatedly. What had happened to the loud and rambunctious Mitarashi Anko that was sitting across me?

"Please, call me Minato. We're both apprentices of the Sannin after all," he winked at her, and I could almost hear the steam coming out of her ears. "I'm sure Jiraiya-sensei will delighted to discover that Orochimaru's finally taken on a real student."

"Of c-course," Anko stammered, "Mi-mi-min-ato-san."

I couldn't help it. A giggle burst through my lips. Seeing Anko so tamed and embarrassed was refreshing. Like watching a tiger reduced to a housecat.

"Huh, Sensei. That's him. The Kiri-nin." Namikaze Minato was not sitting by himself. There was another Konoha-nin sitting across him. He had familiar spiky gray hair, though a mask covering everything below eye-level prevented me from seeing his whole face. In fact, given that his forehead protector was tilted to block one of his eyes, the only visible portion of his face was his right eye. He was obviously still a teen, however, and seemed to be only slightly older than Anko.

Azure eyes that had once shone brightly suddenly turned cold and calculating. His gaze pierced into me, and I knew that I was no longer talking to Namikaze Minato, but the Yellow Flash instead; the most deadly ninja in history. Then the warmth returned. "Yo, Kagura-kun," he smiled. "Welcome to Konoha."

I gave a short bow. "Thank you, Namikaze-san."

"This is Kakashi, my student." Minato gestured towards the other Konoha-nin. The boy threw a lazy wave I had seen somewhere before.

"Inu," I breathed out, realizing why I suddenly found his hair so familiar. He always threw the same wave when he brought my meals to me. There was no change in Inu-Kakashi's demeanor when I said his ANBU callsign. Instead he slowly brought a finger to his lips. "Mah, actually it doesn't actually matter since you're not under observation anymore," he shrugged. "Nice to finally meet you, Kagura."

I couldn't believe it. He'd probably just entered his teens only. And he was already in ANBU? Then I remembered what Orochimaru said.

 _"Same caliber as Hatake Kakashi"_

So... this could be me in the future?

My thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi looked at his watch. "Sensei," he said, "you're going to be late for lunch."

Looking at his own watch, Minato began to panic. "You're right!" Then he calmed down and looked at his student oddly. "What are you talking about? I can just Hiraishin there."

"Oh. That's right. Have fun anyway. I hear this new ramen store's really good, by the way."

Ramen?

I tugged at Minato's sleeve. "Um... by any chance are you eating with Uzumaki-san?" I asked.

Kakashi's lone eye widened. Minato's gaze sharpened. Slowly, he nodded. "How'd you know?"

"She told me she loves ramen. And she talked a little bit about you."

"She did?" Minato's eyes lit up, and he grabbed me by the shoulders. "What'd she say?" he asked me excitedly, lifting me up in the air and shaking me.

"She called you a 'blond sissy'."

"Ah." He put me down, looking as though all life had drained out of him. "I see."

"But she also seemed really concerned about you when she heard that you were going to fight the Hachibi Jinchuuriki and the Raikage's son."

There was flicker of hope in his eyes again. "That's nice to hear," he nodded, though it seemed he was talking more to himself than to me. "Say, would you like to see her again? Now that I think about it, she seemed really excited to come back to the village, saying something about how she missed the soft elasticity of a baby's cheeks."

"I- uh," I stammered out, thinking about how to politely refuse his invitation. I wasn't going to willingly enter one of Kushina's fondling sessions. But Minato was having none of it.

"It'll be fun! Let's go!" Then he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Wait, Kagu-"

The last thing I heard before the world hiccuped was Anko calling my name.

* * *

 _So that was the Hiraishin_ , I thought as I emptied all the dango I'd eaten into the drain. It had felt as though my entire body was compressed into my navel for a tiny instant, and suddenly unfolded. When we arrived, I was giddy, disorientated, and nauseous. I'd made a beeline for the nearest socially acceptable location to empty my stomach.

"Minato, you're late!" a familiar voice said impatiently.

"Ah, sorry Kushina. But look! I brought you a present."

I would've turned to look, but another wave of nausea hit me and I vomited some more.

"Is that..."

There was a volley of footsteps rushing towards me from behind.

 _Uh oh_.

"KAGURA-CHANNNNNNNNN!"

 _Kagura-chan?_ _Since when was I a Chan_? I thought. But then a pair of arms wrapped around me tightly from behind before slithering their way up to my cheeks. I felt Kushina's sharp nails poking into my soft and innocent cheeks, but I was still too weakened by the teleportation to resist.

 _Squish_

"Ah, you're cheeks are as cute as ever, Kagura-chan!"

"Shtop corring me chan," I said, but I was having trouble speaking clearly since my cheeks were getting violated.

"Never!" declared Kushina happily.

"I'm a boy!"

"Hmmm," Kushina seemed to mull over it for a moment. "True. You'll lose your cuteness one day," she sighed. "Okay, I'll call you -kun when you reach my shoulder, and -san when you're taller than me, okay? So for now, you're still my cute Kagura-chan!"

"Uzumaki-san," I complained.

She growled.

"Kushina-neesan," I corrected.

She purred.

"Please stop. I'm not feeling very well," I said, pointing to the puddle of vomit I'd expelled.

I thought perhaps that might have incited some kind of innate maternal instinct within her. But as I mentioned before, the stronger the Shinobi, the weirder they were. "Oh my, Kagura-san!" she gasped. "You must be hungry then! Since there's nothing in your stomach anymore!"

"Huh?"

"Oi, Ichiraku-san! Three extra large Miso Ramen, yea!"

"You got it, Kushina-san!"

I found myself being carried over to a roadside store. What was going on? Wasn't this the point where protective lady was supposed to be doting on the sick child? Why was I being forced to eat an extra large serving of Kushina's favorite food instead?

Slumped over Kushina's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, I saw Minato walking behind us, silently nodding in understanding and realization. "So it isn't just me. Kushina seems to bully everyone she cares for," he whispered to himself.

Then upon seeing me glaring at him, he raised a hand in apology. _Sorry_ , he mouthed.

That bastard. He used me for his own little experiment.

"Eat up!" Kushina slapped me hard on the back when our food arrived. "You must feel terrible after that. Don't worry, you'll get used to the Hiraishin soon!"

The amazing part of what she said was implying that I was going to partake in more future shenanigans with the two of them.

No way.

The ramen bowl was bigger than my face. And it was also difficult to eat with Kushina's right hand glued to my cheek.

"So what have you been up to, Kagura-chan?" Kushina asked mid-meal.

I wondered how much I was allowed to tell her. Since she already knew I was a Jinchuuriki, which I was forbidden to tell anyone about, it seemed alright for her to know I was Orochimaru's student. But given the fact that Minato was listening in, I remained quiet.

"Oh, don't worry about Minato," said Kushina, catching on. "He knows about the turtle too."

To which the blond nodded, "I'm a Sealing Master, too. The Hokage consulted me about the seal as well."

"Oh," I said. Then it seemed fine to tell them. "I'm being trained by Orochimaru."

"Oh," Minato said calmly, "with that girl, Anko. That's good to hear."

Unfortunately, Kushina was starting to tremble.

"O-ro-chi-ma-ru?" She asked, pronouncing each syllable of the Snake Sannin's name separately. Then she looked up, and I could see her eyelid twitching erratically.

"Uh, Kushina?" Minato asked timidly. "Are you okay?"

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT OLD MAN THINKING? DOES HE NOT REALIZE WHAT HE'S DONE? HE'S GIVEN A YOUNG, IMPRESSIONABLE ANGEL TO THE CREEPIEST PERSON IN KONOHA! OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!" She enveloped me in a hug, taking me completely aback. I would've fallen off my stool if her arms didn't keep me in place. "Oh, Kagura-chan! This is the death of your innocence and your cuteness. Your sensei may be a very strong Shinobi, but power like that comes with a price" she wailed. "Soon he'll turn you into sadist. And then he'll make you do all kinds of strange things to your own body in the pursuit of power. Have you seen what that man can do with his tongue alone? No no no! This cannot be! Doesn't Sandaime-sama know that the path to peace lies not in power, but with cuteness?!" She gripped me by the shoulders, staring at me dead in the eye. "Listen, Kagura. The moment Orochimaru tells you to do anything, _anything at all_ , that you find weird or disturbing, you come to me, okay? I'll teach that snake a lesson!"

Hesitantly, I nodded, more because I had no idea what was going on, and less because I agreed with what she was saying.

"Uh," Minato put a hand to her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Kushina, I think you're over-reacting. Orochimaru's not that bad."

"Aha! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

We turned around. It was Anko, and she was clearly tired. She was resting her palms on her thighs, sweat soaking her clothes. And then she saw the position I was in. Kushina was right in front of me, and her hands were clasping my shoulders.

Anko raised an accusing finger towards her. "HEY! What are you doing to my cute little kouhai, you saggy old tomato?!"

* * *

"What's this?" Orochimaru asked us, holding a slip of paper in hand. "It's barely been a day and I've already received a formal letter of complaint from the Hokage about you causing a public disturbance."

"It wasn't my fault!" Sputtered out Anko. A large bandage covered most of her cheek. "It was that crazy lady, Uzu-Uzu-Uzugaki-?"

"Uzumaki Kushina," I supplied.

"Yea, her!" nodded Anko. "That crazy bitch attacked me first!"

Orochimaru raised a lone eyebrow. "Uzumaki Kushina is one of the finest Kunoichi's ever produced by Konoha. Are you saying that she would attack you, a random eleven-year-old girl, unprovoked?" Oh. So Anko was eleven.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying! Ask Kagura!"

"Don't drag him into this," Orochimaru said sternly before I had a chance to respond. "The complaint was directed only at you." Naturally, since I wasn't an 'official' student of Orochimaru's, I hadn't been included in the report. "Now answer for your own actions and apologize to her as soon as you can."

"Gah! Stupid bitch!" Anko muttered out while storming off.

When she was gone, Orochimaru turned to me and sighed.

"She made fun of Kushina's hair, didn't she?"

I nodded. "She also called her 'saggy' and 'old'," I added.

"Do find time and educate her on interacting with Kushina, will you?"

"Yes, sensei."

* * *

"Alright! Let's see what you got, Kagura-kouhai!"

The next day, my training officially begun. Like Orochimaru had said from the very start, Anko would be in charge of the initial phases.

We were in a large underground room, what Anko called 'the boxing ring'. One of Orochimaru's private sparring grounds, perfect to train me in secret. Anko was dressed in her usual attire of shorts and a mesh top, as well as a jacket I was certain she hid her tools in. This time however, she had a saucer taped across her chest.

"Give me everything you've got!" she instructed, tapping the saucer, "we only end when you break this! Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, everything's permitted!"

A pair of kunais slipped out each sleeve and she grabbed them and pointed them at me.

"Begin!"

Her first attack involved a volley of shuriken and kunai. I tried dodging them, using my own kunai to deflect what I couldn't. I didn't want to throw my own weapons at her - there was no point.

At this point, she was probably a seasoned Genin, or maybe even a Chunin. There was no way she was fighting me at full strength. I was still young and my body was still undeveloped - I couldn't throw weapons fast or strong enough for them to actually pose a threat to her.

Holding weapons in my hand was the most effective way of using them. They extended my reach and added an extra layer of lethality to my physical attacks. The only problem was getting close enough to strike. Unlike the idiots at Kiri's Academy, Anko knew how to play her strengths. She was bigger than me, and probably better than me in every single possible way. She knew I was trying to force close-quarter combat - the only scenario where the gap was diminished - and saw no reason to give it to me. She kept leaping back when I got too close, or forced me to retreat by spitting bullets made of fire out of her mouth.

I would have to resort to other tricks. I pulled back, holstering my kunai as my fingers raced through practiced hand seals with ease. Anko rested her palm on her hip, clearly wanting to see what I was trying to pull off.

"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Technique)"

Immediately two copies of me rose from the ground, made from the moisture in the air. It was more chakra intensive and difficult to make water clones from vapor, but circumstances called for it. That was when I realized how much my chakra reserves had grown - I didn't feel exhausted at all - the benefit of being a Jinchuuriki.

"Oh!" Anko clapped from where she stood, "that's some crazy strong affinity to water you have there. But you know clones are pretty weak, right?"

"I'm not done yet," I said, flashing through more hand seals. "Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Water style: Hiding in the Mist Technique)"

Mist bellowed out of my mouth and soon I was surrounded by an impenetrable veil of water made from my chakra. Because it was my chakra, I could tell exactly where Anko was. Every water molecule infused with my chakra she touched sent a signal back to me. I could even tell she was smirking.

"Oi, oi. You know elemental manipulation already?"

Truth be told, this was the most advanced elemental manipulation I could do. I couldn't do the Mizu Bunshin using chakra alone - I needed a water source, even if it was the air. Converting chakra into another material was difficult, even if my affinity with water was abnormally high, and I simply didn't have enough time to practice it in the past. Creating mist required far less control and finesse than a water dragon. However, it was enough to best most of the Academy students.

Except Yagura.

"Kagura-kouhai," Anko's voice rang out. She was actually walking towards me. How did she know where I was? I ordered a clone to move closer towards her. Like I suspected, she immediately turned around and faced it instead. She had a way of seeing through the mist, though it seemed she couldn't differentiate between me and the clones. "Do you know how a snake finds its prey?"

She lunged towards my clone, and I immediately ordered it to pull back.

I could feel her licking her lips.

"It tastes it."

That was it! She was tasting the air, the way snakes did with their forked tongues. But... was that even humanly possible? With Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin, as her teacher, I suppose it was. With this revelation, I knew I couldn't rely on the mist for long. I needed a plan to break the saucer on her fast.

The only advantage I had over her was my clones. She only knew the direction of the one closest to her. And she couldn't differentiate between real and fake.

I smiled. That was my ticket to winning.

* * *

Mitarashi Anko stalked through the mist, sticking out her tongue every few seconds or so. Her cute little Kouhai had wizened up, getting him and his clones to dart around and vary their distance with her, making it impossible for her to accurately judge their locations.

Oh well, she could wait. Maintaining this technique must have been tiring. He was five years old, how much chakra could he possibly have? This wasn't a battle Kagura could win anyway. The saucer on her chest was nothing more than a gimmick to think he had a chance. The only _real_ way for the battle to end was his surrender. Orochimaru-sensei had done the same thing to her team the first time they met, and it had taken them nearly eight hours before giving up.

Hopefully, Kagura would realize the futility of the exercise a lot of faster.

As if on cue, one of them started to rush her, bounding towards her at a speed that could only come from chakra enhancement.

 _Impressive_ , she thought, readying her kunai.

A child's body burst through the mist, kunai in both hands. With practiced ease, Anko blocked his attacks. When Kagura tried to attack her again, she accurately jammed the tips of her own kunais into the circular rings at the base of Kagura's, halting his movements. With two quick flicks of her wrists, both of Kagura's weapon flew out of his hands.

Defenseless, Anko went in for the kill. When Kagura did not escape, and instead charged towards her, she smiled. _A suicidal tactic, probably to distract me from the original or another clone that will come from behind_. True enough, the scent of urea, found in human sweat, was becoming stronger from her rear. No matter, she could end this clone and still have enough time to deal with the next attack.

She deftly dodged Kagura's punch and and the clone ran into her, her kunai plunging into his body. The sensation of water splashing over her hand was all the confirmation she needed that the clone would be dispelled, and she turned around to deal with the next attack.

Except... she couldn't. Her hand and her kunai was still stuck in Kagura's body. She looked down. The liquid she felt earlier hadn't been water. It was Kagura's blood, and her entire sleeve was now stained red.

"What-" she gasped, still trying to understand what happened. It... it wasn't a clone?

Kagura smiled. She immediately tried to pull her hand out from his gut, only to find that one of Kagura's hand was keeping it there.

"What're you doing?" she asked, alarm building up as she realized Kagura had deliberately gotten himself stabbed. What in the world was the kid thinking? "Do you want to die?!" she screamed.

"No," his eyes flared with unbridled determination. "I want to win!"

And then Kagura raised his free hand, clenched his fist, and struck her.

* * *

"Sensei!"

Orochimaru nearly dropped the human brain he was studying from the sudden intrusion of his apprentice.

"What," he asked, gingerly putting the brain back into a jar of alcohol, "is so important that you have to barge in here screaming like a maniac?"

"Kagura," Anko panted, "Kagura's been stabbed!"

Orochimaru immediately entered his battle mood. An attack? "By who?" he demanded.

"Me."

"What?"

"He ran into my kunai! He's crazy!" Anko was starting to panic. While Anko had killed before, Orochimaru realized that Anko had never actually critically hurt someone she hadn't meant to before. The irreversible consequences bearing down on her mind was causing her a fair amount of stress.

"Calm down, Anko," Orochimaru instructed, casting a mild genjutsu over to relax her mind. "What's his current condition?" he asked as he began to run towards the sparring ground.

"I- I bandaged him up. Stopped the external bleeding with field stitches. He's also unconscious. But the blood's kind of blackish, which indicates organ damage, most likely the liver or the kidneys. Sensei, he needs to get to the hospital. Fast."

"I know," Orochimaru said through grit teeth. This was why he didn't want another student, they were so much trouble. As he ran, there was a crunching sound under his feet. Ceramic shards? Then he saw the shattered saucer still taped to Anko's chest, a few fragments dropping to the ground as she sprinted behind him.

Hmm. Perhaps for this one, the trouble was worth it.

* * *

I was in the hospital again. At least this time I wasn't tied up.

It was dark, and my room was only illuminated by the moon that hung outside by window.

"For a prodigy, you're also very stupid." Orochimaru stepped out from the shadows that cloaked him in the corner. "You could've died."

I shrugged. "But I didn't, and I ended up beating Anko instead."

"Yes," my newfound mentor said wryly, "congratulations on your win. You can celebrate by remaining bedridden for three days."

Three days? That was actually less than I expected. The knife had gone straight into my liver. The recovery time should've been at least a solid week.

"You look surprised. I can ask the doctors to keep you here longer if you want."

I shook my head. "No sensei. I just thought a punctured liver would take slightly longer to heal."

"It does."

"Then..."

"Your liver had already begun to regenerate itself by the time we brought you here."

I had chosen the liver on purpose. It was the only internal organ that could regrow itself. But still, this was a little too fast, wasn't it?

"Jinchuurikis heal fast - a mixture of their large chakra reserves and the fact that they _are_ Jinchuuriki. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's level of regeneration supersedes the rest, but that doesn't mean that your ability to recover from wounds is anything to scoff at."

"How fast?" I asked.

"You won't even have a scar left by the end of a month."

"That's good?" I said uncertainly. Orochimaru was telling me good news, yet somehow I still got the feeling that he was in a bad mood.

"Yes, now you can go and maim yourself some more."

Oh. So he _was_ unhappy about it.

"Sorry," I said.

"Don't apologize to me, you idiot," Orochimaru scoffed. "I wouldn't mind that much if you died. One less brat to watch." Somehow I knew he was telling the truth.

But if not Orochimaru, then... "Anko?" I asked.

"That girl blamed herself for your stupidity. Cried the whole time you were in the operation theatre. She was sitting by your side for eight hours before I forced her to go home to rest."

I should have felt bad. I _wanted_ to feel bad. But I just couldn't.

I only felt confused. "Why?" I asked. "She's only known me for two days."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Why should I know? Do I look like a Yamanaka? Maybe because her dad split on her when she was a baby and her mother's been missing in action for two years. Or maybe because she watched her entire genin team killed by Iwa-nin during the war and she, the lone Chunin, couldn't protect them. I don't know and I don't care, but I'll be damned if the performance of my first apprentice is subverted because of your recklessness."

Orochimaru did not lose his temper. He spoke calmly and fluidly. Yet somehow, I felt as though a kunai was being held against my throat.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, sensei. I will avoid putting myself at risk unnecessarily in the future."

"See that you do."

* * *

"You idiot!"

That was the first thing Anko said to me when she burst through the doors once visiting hours started.

"Hello to you too, Anko-senpai." She preened slightly at the honorific. But then seeing the bandage around my abdomen caused her to become enraged again.

She jumped on my bed, making herself comfortable on my legs.

"Are you stupid? They told me you were smart, but are you actually as dumb as a rock? No, rocks can't get stabbed. You're even dumber than that!"

"In my defense," I protested weakly, "I won. I broke the saucer."

"Who cares?! You can't celebrate your win if _you're_ _dead_. Is this what Kiri teaches you guys? To always put the mission before your lives?"

Well, they actually had, so I nodded.

"Get your shit together, Kagura! This isn't Kiri anymore! This is Konoha! You have to think bigger than the mission! Village first. Always village first! Now tell me, which is more important, a young ninja's life, or a stupid test used to gauge his skills?"

"The first one," I mumbled, remembering my conversation with Orochimaru yesterday. I looked at Anko closely. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, and judging by her eyebags, she hadn't gotten much sleep.

She probably lived alone, judging from the background Orochimaru had provided.

A Sannin's student likely spent most of the time with their teacher, and Anko was no different. I'd seen it the day before, when she acted as a lab technician for Orochimaru after she was done practicing some jutsu the Sannin had tossed to her. In exchange, she probably didn't have many friends, or people she could consider herself close to besides Orochimaru himself. Then I appeared, a fellow understudy of the Sannin, someone Anko realized she could actually befriend.

And I had run myself into her kunai.

I hadn't anticipated how much hurting myself would have hurt her by extension. I felt a little guilty.

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Her furious expression softened.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

Compared to the fight with Yagura I had, it was nothing. During the moment itself, I was so pumped up on adrenaline I barely felt anything more than a sting. But something told me Anko didn't want to hear about that.

"I'll live," I managed a smile at her.

"You'd better. Once you're out, I'm gonna kick your ass."

* * *

Orochimaru had a very strict training schedule for Anko, so she couldn't stay very long.

Like I expected, the man himself never showed up since the first night.

Anko came everyday during her rest periods, bringing get-well-soon presents of dango, dango, and more dango.

Given the nature of my injury, it probably wasn't good for me to eating such things. "What are you taling about, Kagura-kouhai?" Anko had smiled threateningly to me when I told her that. "How can eating dango be dangerous? I mean, if you can stab yourself with my kunai, this shouldn't be a problem at all!"

Needless to say, I had many stomach pains during my stay in hospital.

On the last day, hours before I was due to discharge, I had a few unexpected visitors.

"Kagura-chaaaaannnnn!" A familiar voice shrieked before footfalls screamed towards my ward.

I groaned internally. _Why was she here_?

"Kushina-neesan." I blinked. That was Kakashi's voice. I couldn't believe it. Even the famed genius Hataka Kakashi had bowed to Kushina's will and called her 'neesan'. "The hospital is a place of rest and recovery. Please keep your volume down so that people _can_ _actually rest_."

"Kakashi is right, Kushina. I'm sure you don't want to get kicked out so fast." Even Minato was here?

"What? You two are ganging up on me!"

"Oh! Kushina-san! I thought I heard your voice. Eh? Kakashi, Minato-sensei, you're here too?" A fourth voice suddenly appeared. She sounded awfully familiar, but I couldn't place where I recognized her from.

The door slammed open and Kushina marched in, leading three other apologetic-looking people behind her.

"Kagura-chan!" wailed Kushina when she saw me.

"Sorry for the intrusion," smiled Minato, still looking rather sheepish.

"Yo." Kakashi waved.

A fourth girl, one with brown hair and purple markings on her face, bowed. "Hi Kagura-kun. I'm Nohara Rin. Remember me?"

The voice. The markings. The way she seemed to cling to Kakashi. My mind joined the dots together.

"Neko!" I said, finally remembering our time in the festival together.

Rin waved. Then she was forcefully pushed to the side by Kushina as the redhead barreled her way towards me.

"I knew it!" She huffed. "Orochimaru is a terrible teacher!"

"He's not so bad," I defended him.

"You're hospitalized. You live in the village with the best Iryo-nins around and you're _hospitalized_."

"It's not Orochimaru-sensei's fault. I ran into Anko's kunai out of my own free will," I explained.

Minato cocked an eyebrow.

Kakashi's lone eye blinked.

Rin tilted her head in bafflement.

Kushina grabbed me by the shoulders and started to shake me. "ARE YOU STUPID OR ARE YOU ACTUALLY STUPID?" Then, realizing what she was doing was a bad idea when I started to wince, she stopped. "Sorry," she said.

"Funny," I remarked, "Anko said the same thing when she first visited me." Maybe the two were more alike than I thought.

"Clearly that rude punk's smarter than you then. What on earth were you thinking?"

Then she descended into a tirade on how Orichimaru was incapable of teaching young children, much less taking care of them. And how I should be complaining to the Hokage to arrange for a transfer to my 'favourite Onee-san' Uzumaki Kushina, who would ensure that I grew up into a fine young man and ninja who didn't run into other people's kunai.

"Come on Kushina, I'm sure Kagura's been scolded enough by Orochimaru and Anko already. Didn't you want to celebrate his dischargement?" Minato started massaging her shoulders, and Kushina calmed down.

"How come you're all here, anyway?" I asked. I understood Kushina, who seemed to have taken a liking to me for some reason. And maybe Kakashi, given our tumultuous history together. But I'd barely even met Minato and Rin.

"Kushina-neesan forced us. She was supposed to treat us to dinner today, but when the Hokage told her about your condition just now, she bailed and forced us to come here instead," sighed Kakashi, evidently disappointed.

"Now now, I'm sure Kakashi's concerned about you as well," Minato forced a laugh. "We're all Konoha-nin here after all."

"Yea Kakashi-kun!" agreed Kushina. After hearing Kakashi's suffix, I realized Kakashi was halfway between her head and her shoulder in terms of height. I couldn't wait for my turn; 'Kagura-kun' was far more acceptable than Kagura-chan'. "And I told you I'll make up for it another day, didn't I?"

"I'm not, though." When everyone looked at me, I repeated myself. "I'm not a Shinobi of Konoha. As of now, I don't even exist yet. There's no need for the formalities."

"Formalities?" Kushina questioned. "What formalities? We're here because we care and we want to!"

"Kushina's right, Kagura-kun," Minato added, "this is Konoha. We believe in caring for one another. It makes us all stronger."

I frowned. The Sandaime had said something similar back then. I still doubted it. Sometimes, you just had to kill the weeds.

However, this wasn't the time to attack their village philosophy. "Sounds interesting," I said vaguely. I was still curious to study the impact of the so-called 'Will of Fire', but that would have to wait.

"Kagura-Kouhai~" Anko's singing voice echoed down the hallway. "It's time for you to be discharged!~"

Her head poked through the door frame, a cheeky grin on her face and a wad of bills in her hand. "Sensei gave us money to have a good meal!"

"That's great!" Kushina started to clap and Anko's expression morphed into one of horror, "see Kakashi? Now you can get that treat!"

"Toma-" Anko pointed at her, but covered her mouth at the last moment. I heaved a sigh of relief. Disaster averted. "-ny people... Too many people! Why are all these people here?" Anko glared at me as though this was my fault.

"Hiii, Anko-chan~" Kushina said manically. The others waved. Anko immediately went as white as a sheet and dashed towards the safest place she saw: behind Minato's back.

"Kagura, why are you hanging out with her? This woman here got us in trouble!"

"Got _you_ in trouble," I corrected, and she looked at me like I had betrayed her.

"Now now," Kushina laughed forcefully, "it's all in the past! Let bygones be bygones." That... was highly suspicious, I felt. Kushina didn't seem to be the type to let go of grudges as easily as that. I was proven correct when she glanced at the money in Anko's hand. "We should be celebrating Kagura's recovery, yea!"

Anko immediately shook her head and stuck out her tongue. "Bleh! No way, Uzumaki! This money's for me and Kagura only!"

"Why you!" Kushina rolled up her sleeves threateningly, "I'm going make Orochimaru teach you some manners! You're gonna be a bad influence on Kagura-chan!"

"Kushina," Minato placed a placating palm on Kushina's shoulder. "Anko," he rested his other hand on Anko's head. "You're making a scene."

Anko blushed a deep crimson, obviously abashed that her hero had called her out. Kushina made a 'hmph' sound before turning away. "She started it," the redhead muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Minato said calmly. I was slightly curious to see how he would defuse the situation. "Kagura doesn't like it when his two favorite ladies fight, right Kagura?"

By shifting all responsibility to me, it seemed. Cunning. Dastardly, but very cunning. Their eyes turned towards me.

"See?" Anko puffed out her chest in pride. "I'm his favorite. Now scram, Uzumaki!"

"What are you talking about?" Kushina crossed her arms. "Obviously he likes me more! I introduced him to ramen!"

"I bought him dango!" Anko argued back.

"Who cares about dango? Ramen's _way_ better!"

By now, Kakashi had found a stool from somewhere and had taken a seat next to my bed. He sighed lazily. "A Jounin and a Chunin... fighting over the affection and attention of a five-year-old. I just want to eat," he complained.

"So, Kagura-chan/kouhai, who's your favorite?" They both asked in unison.

The correct answer was to pick neither of them. But given fact that these were the only two female acquaintances I had, that was difficult to justify.

Wait, that wasn't true. There was one more person.

"Neko." I said, looking at Rin. She blinked, momentarily stunned at being the center of the room's attention after having been sidelined for so long.

"M-me? We've only met once! Twice, if you count today."

"You bought me Takoyaki," I nodded. "Takoyaki is nice."

"Oh!" She laughed, "I nearly forgot about that. I'm glad you like it, Kagura-kun." Nohara Rin was perfect. She was likeable and neutral. Anko and Kushina had no ammunition to drag her into their petty squabbles.

"Traitor," Anko snubbed.

"What?! I visited you everyday for more than a week! And this is the thanks I get?" Kushina sounded devasted.

"Oh look at the time!" Minato quickly changed topics. "It's almost time for dinner and I still haven't eaten lunch. I know! Let's all eat together! The more the merrier, as they say."

"I told you, I'm not spending any of Sensei's money on that old hag!" Anko refused.

Before Kushina could erupt, Minato stepped in. "It's okay, Anko. You can pay for Kagura and yourself. Kushina will pay for us. She owes us anyway." He winked, and Kakashi nodded.

"Deal!" Anko said happily.

"Mi-na-to?" Kushina said sweetly. Yet for some reason, everybody in the room, including the blond himself, gulped. "Why didn't you correct this little punkass girl here when she called me an old hag?"

"Ah," Minato took a few steps away from Kushina, having caught his mistake. "Slight change of plans, everyone. I'll pay."

Kushina nodded happily. "Yosh! Let's eat, yea! To Ichiraku's!"

"No, I want dango!"

"Wait!" Rin called out, stopping Anko and Kushina who were already walking out the door. She pointed at me. "He's not discharged for another forty-five minutes."

I looked at the clock in my table. It'd barely been a few minutes since Anko arrived. Now we had to somehow survive another forty-five?

* * *

In the end, we went to eat neither dango nor ramen.

"Why Yakiniku?" whined Kushina, "do you know how long it'll take to scrub the smell of my clothes?"

"Three days if you use the scented detergent and five days if you don't," replied Kakashi matter-of-factly.

"He has a good nose," whispered Rin next to me, holding my hand like she had in the festival.

"Yea..." Kushina trailed off at Kakashi's answer, clearly not having been expecting one. "See that's long!" She said with renewed vigor, "why not Ichiraku's? Teuchi said he'd give me extra fishcakes!"

"Sorry Kushina," Minato smiled apologetically, "but I promised Choza I'd drop by the Akimichi's new restaurant once. Besides, it's good to try new things!"

Kushina made a face at him. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it, yea!"

The scent of grilled meat interrupted our conversation. It was novel experience for me and my mouth began to water.

Meat that came from livestock - beef, chicken, pork, etc - was a luxury in Kiri. There wasn't enough land to farm crops and animals - the crops had obviously won in the end. Instead, the main source of protein in Kiri came from seafood and there was an abundant supply of it there.

It was the opposite in Konoha. Seafood was rare, and sashimi was nearly unheard of. But meat-specialized restaurants like the one in front of me now were common place here.

It made me wonder why I hadn't tried one sooner. The smell was already tantalizing. "Smells good, doesn't it?" Rin asked when she noticed I was tugging her hand towards it. "Wait till you try it!" she said.

"What are you waiting for?" Minato asked. "Let's go!"

The concept of Yakiniku was lost on me. Why were there even chefs in the restaurants in the first place if the customers cooked their own food? When the first dish arrived, I tried eating it, not knowing the meat was still cold and raw. Rin, my self-appointed governess, immediately slapped my hand away and told me how the restaurant functioned.

Meat was delicious, I realized after trying my first bite.

Meat was amazing, I confirmed during my second serving.

Meat was the best, I decided after stealing Anko's portion as well.

"Hey! That's mine!" Anko pouted.

I burped.

"What a big appetite for a small boy," a new voice said. It was deep and throaty, and its owner became apparent when the largest man I'd ever seen in my life walked up to our table.

"Choza," Minato said, "the food is good."

Akimichi Choza. The one that was Minato's friend.

I wondered why so many Shinobi put on war paint, even when they were not in war. "Some clans use war paint to differentiate themselves," Rin whispered into my ear when I asked.

"Like yours?" I asked, taking at closer look at the purple markings on her own face.

She nodded.

Choza had an intimidating look. His long red hair resembled a spiking mane, and his large size didn't help much in softening his frenzied appearance. He was wearing a chef's apron, with the character for 'food' emblazoned on it.

Despite that, I couldn't resist but stare.

"Something the matter, kid?" Choza asked.

"Your cheeks," I pointed. "They look like seaweed." Indeed they did. Two wavy purple lines that sharpened at the end adorned his cheeks, resembling the green substance that Kushina abhorred seeing in her ramen.

The man didn't get mad. Instead he chortled, "you got sharp eyes boy, that's exactly what they are! The marking on an Akimichi's cheeks are always inspired by food! I haven't seen you before, by the way." He bowed, "I'm Choza Akimichi, and I'll be General Manager of Akimichi Food Industries in three weeks."

I didn't understand what he meant, but judging by the reactions of the others, it seemed to be a good thing.

"Congratulations, Choza! Your father's finally stepping down?" Minato patted him on the back.

Choza nodded happily. "Says he want to eat, and not lead for the rest of his life."

"Wow!" clapped Kushina, "does that mean I have to call you Akimichi- _dono_ from now on?"

"Nah. I don't like the sound of that. We're friends after all, aren't we? Calling me Akimichi- _sama_ is good enough for me!"

"Choza!"

"I'm kidding of course. Just call me as you used to."

At seeing my puzzled look, Minato explained. "The Akimichi own a food and beverage business, and the clan head is always the manager."

Oh. So Choza was a clan heir-soon-to-be-head.

"So kid, what's your name? I like to get to know my customers. Customer feedback and relations and stuff like that."

"Kagura," I said.

Choza's reaction was nearly unnoticeable. His eyebrows went up by a fraction of a millimeter. His beady eyes narrowed down on me. His smile faltered. "Kagura, you said?" He repeated.

Suddenly, the table lost its friendly atmosphere. Tension was building with every second and I could tell that it bothered Minato and Kushina across me.

"Yes, I'm Kagura. The spy from Kiri," I said what I knew was obviously on his mind. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course I have. The Akimichi is one of the four noble clans of Konoha. I was present when the council was deciding your fate." At seeing my frown, he added, "I voted to take you in, by the way. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth to kill a kid."

"I see," I said, making a small bow. "Thank you for your graciousness."

He suddenly boomed with laughter. "Don't thank me yet, kiddo! Thank me only once you're full! That's how a restaurant should work!" He slapped me hard on the back. "I can tell you're still hungry for meat! Five more plates of beef, on the house!"

As he walked away, I felt strangely taken aback. "Are all Konoha-nin so warm and friendly?" I asked.

"Nope," Kushina said happily. "There's always your creepy teacher. And Anko here is as rude as they get. Not to mention Kakashi's just shy."

"Hey! You're rude too!" Anko bit back, not even trying to deny Kushina's claim about her.

I looked towards Kakashi, who until moments ago, had a plate of meat on his table. Now it was completely empty, and the grey-haired teen adjusted his mask.

"Oh no!" Kushina gasped. "We missed it!"

"Missed what?" Anko, Rin, and I asked together.

"Kakashi eating," Minato chuckled. "Kushina's never seen Kakashi's face. So she thought by getting him to eat with her she'd be able to catch a glimpse of it. But it looks like she was just a moment too late."

The lone visible eye on Kakashi's face folded into a line as he smiled. "Thank you for the meal, Minato-sensei."

"Ah! No way! Kakashi-kun, you're not eating anymore?" asked Kushina, downcast. "But..."

"I'm full," the teen said jovially as he stood up. "Well, I'll be going now, ANBU duty and all. Bye, everyone." With his signature lazy wave, he left with a Shunshin.

"DAMN IT!" cried out Kushina in anguish, "I WAS SO CLOSE!"

Minato stroked her back reassuringly, "don't worry Kushina. I'm sure he'll let you see it one day."

There were two realizations I had at that very moment. The first was that Hatake Kakashi had managed to stealthily eat a whole plate of beef at a table with two Jounins and a Chunin. When I thought about it, it was an utterly amazing feat, one that made me look at the enigmatic teen genius with a whole new light.

The second realization was simple. I had actually enjoyed myself today.

And I didn't know which one unsettled me more.

* * *

 **A/N: Fav, Follow, Review and PM me please**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I recently binged Hear the Silence, which is an amazing SI-OC Naruto fic. Y'all should check it out! Anyway reading it caused me to cancel plans and basically write 5000 words over one weekend instead. Don't worry, my Fallen Messiah readers. Next chapter should be out next week, I'm already 5k words in too.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

"So?" Orochimaru asked his older student, "how is his progress?"

Mitarashi Anko glanced down at the unconscious boy in front of her. He had passed out from a mixture of chakra, physical, and mental exhaustion. His small form was curled into a ball and despite his battered condition, there was a content smile on his face.

"I can't believe he's five years old." She shook her head as Kagura exhaled gently. It had been a few months since the ex-Kiri child has come under her tutelage and his growth rate could only be described as alarming. "I think this is what training an Uchiha is like. Every time I show him something new, I just have to explain the theory behind it, and he'll be able to do it within a few attempts. It's almost like he has a Sharingan. And let's not even talk about his affinity with water. He's already able to soak a leaf."

Orochimaru seemed unsurprised. "And his personality?" probed the Sannin.

Anko shrugged. "The same, I guess."

"Has he tried impaling himself ever since?"

"No."

"That's good, I suppose," Orochimaru nodded. "Anko, prep another test subject. Then you can leave."

The girl frowned, "Sensei, he's the second last one. What's this secret project you're doing anyway? It's killing all of them so fast!"

The Sannin resisted the urge to smile. He was quite proud of the progress he made so far. "It's a power boost. A way for ninjas to tap into a source of nearly unlimited chakra. Don't worry Anko, in due time, you will find out."

His student's curiosity seemed piqued. "Unlimited chakra? That's awesome! You've got to let me try it out once you're done with it!"

This time the Sannin did smile. "Of course, Anko. You'll be the very first."

* * *

It took a few months for the post-war jubilation to die down. Slowly, people removed the banners and flags hanging from their windows and balconies. There were fewer spur-of-the-moment festivities. And to Anko's disappointment, that meant many shops had stopped giving out discounts.

"Why is dango so expensive?" she sighed dejectedly, having already finished all the sticks she bought. "Last week I could have gotten twice as much with the same amount of money."

"Senpai," I explained, "the war caused many crop fields to be damaged and burnt. Not to mention, many farmers swapped their crops to produce staples in order to support the war effort. Given the long gestation period in the agriculture industry, it would be natural to assume the supply of materials needed to create dango is low. Basic economic knowledge would indicate that the price of dango should have risen accordingly."

Anko stared at me for a long time. It led to a rather uncomfortable silence and I wondered if my explanation was not entirely correct, or if I had missed out some other factors. Finally Anko said, "you're almost six, right?"

"Yes, Anko-senpai."

"I thought that would help me feel better, but it didn't."

"I... don't understand what you mean, Senpai." Was she feeling unwell?

"Now I feel better," she placed her arms at her hips and continued walking. As we walked, she casually threw a dango stick. I watched with fascination as the miniature wooden spear sunk into a concrete wall. She hadn't even thrown it that hard, so how was that even possible?

"Chakra manipulation," she answered my unasked question. "You can strengthen objects by imbuing your chakra in them." Another stick in her hand turned slightly blue with her chakra. "Wind chakra, in particular, enhances the penetration and cutting power of weapons." With a flick of the wrist, the second dango stick sailed through the air, impaling the wall even deeper than the first.

That was an extremely useful skill, I realized. It could turn the tide of a battle if it ever boiled down to a clash between kunai and shuriken. "Teach me," I said.

"Hold your horses, Kagura-kouhai. This stuff isn't easy. Your chakra control isn't good enough. You're more likely to explode whatever it is you're holding, and don't even talk about learning wind chakra manipulation when we've only just started doing water chakra. Not to mention, you're only five, why the rush?"

"I'm almost six," I pointed out.

"Still a baby."

I would've felt annoyed if she wasn't right. In her eyes, I was exactly that. Ever since the plate-breaking exercise where I had ended up getting stabbed, I hadn't even come close to winning her at anything. Every training session, every spar, every exercise, I would emerge with my body half-dead and my chakra depleted, while Anko wouldn't even look slightly fatigued. It irked me somewhat, being looked down upon, but it only strengthened my resolve. Anko had become that strong training under Orochimaru. I could do the same as well.

"Did you hear?" A pair of women walked past us, and one of them whispered to the other. "The Sandaime's stepping down. He and the Council are deciding his successor today."

"Seriously? I wonder who it will be? There are so many possible candidates! I bet it will be one of the Sannin," said an excited voice.

"Who knows? I hear Namikaze-san and Uchiha-san are being considered as well!"

I could feel my eyebrows rising to my hairline. The Sandaime was stepping down? And more importantly, Minato and Orochimaru were being considered to replace him. I hadn't seen the Yellow Flash since the barbecue meal, but the town was still talking about his exploits till today. There was even a book in progress.

I turned to look at Anko. Her furrowed brows and her concerned expression told me she had overheard the conversation as well. "We should go back," she suddenly said seriously.

"Why? Do you think Orochimaru-sensei will become Hokage?" I asked. The possibility was there. The Sannin name held incredible power behind it.

"Kagura," Anko said gravely and I realized she had even dropped the 'kouhai', "we better pray that Sensei becomes Hokage."

* * *

Judging by the screams of anger and the utterly wrecked laboratory, Orochimaru had not been chosen. Glass vials had been swept off the tables and now lay shattered on the floor, their contents painting a vibrant mural of chemicals on the ground.

A corpse, probably one of Orochimaru's test subjects, was nailed to the wall with kunais, his belly ripped and his innards splayed for all to see. His blank lifeless eyes were staring at me, and Anko hastily led me somewhere else. I was curious to know just what Orochimaru's experiments consisted, given the strange black markings on the body.

"I would not have minded if Jiraiya was chosen over me, but why him?!"

Instantly, Anko pulled me downwards and we hid behind a table as Orochimaru stormed into the room. I used a shard of a broken mirror to see what was going on. Fury rolled out of him in tangible waves as he punched the wall in his anger, leaving behind a crater.

"The war was hard on everybody. But with its end, a new era has begun. People don't want a veteran of two wars leading them. They want a hero, a fresh face, someone who represents a new beginning and hope."

I blinked in surprise when the Sandaime walked in behind Orochimaru, looking tired. Their argument must had been going on for quite some time already.

"And I do not represent those things?" Orochimaru asked venomously.

The Sandaime made a showful display of stopping, then looking around the lab, his eyes resting on the dead body for more than a moment. There was a twinge of disapproval and amusement as he said, "no, not really."

Orochimaru didn't have a response to that. Instead, he surveyed the room.

"Anko. Kagura. I know you're both hiding there."

Hesitantly, Anko stood up, and I quickly followed suit.

"Sandaime-sama, Sensei," she greeted respectfully. "Forgive us for... eavesdropping."

The Hokage stared at us for a while before a warm smile graced his lips. "This is your lab," then he paused, kicking away a cracked flask by his feet, "or what's left of it anyway. You have every right to be here. There is no need to be concerned, I will be making a public announcement about my successor in a few hours anyway."

"So who is it?" I asked, and when everyone turned to look at me before I added, "Hokage-sama?" respectfully.

"You've met him before. It's Minato."

"What?" Anko said in surprise, "it's Minato-san? But he's so young!"

Looking at me, the Hokage chuckled, "Kagura is young as well. But that hasn't really stopped you from teaching him the ninja arts, has it?"

"Well, no." Anko looked slightly embarrassed, suddenly finding the floor an interesting object to look at.

"Orochimaru," the Hokage turned back to his student, who was doing a rather poor job of hiding his anger. "I hope you understand. The village greatly appreciates what you've done for her, myself included. But you're not what we need in a leader at the moment."

A small twitch of a muscle was Orochimaru's only response. Within seconds, he had a calm, unreadable mask on his face again. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "and the other matter I asked you about?"

The Hokage shook his head. "The prisoner exchanges have been finalized. We do not have any to spare. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to make do with what you have for now."

"I see." Orochimaru replied with the same emotionless expression and tone. "You can leave now, Sarutobi-sensei." The Sannin turned on his heel and walked away, not even waiting for a response.

The Sandaime looked as though he wanted to say something. But it seemed he thought better of it and turned to leave as well.

"By your leave, Hokage-sama," Anko bowed.

* * *

The day after that, Orochimaru took a personal interest in my training. He was the one waiting for me in the training room instead shelving me off to the purple-haired spitfire.

"Anko tells me you are quite gifted."

I said nothing to refute that.

"The old monkey used to call me talented and prodigious back in the day as well. And look where that's gotten me."

"A Sannin," I said, "an internationally recognized S-class Shinobi who even Kages think twice about fighting."

"But still not a Kage," he pointed out.

Again, I kept quiet.

"Do you ever want to be a Kage, Kagura-kun?" I realized he hadn't specified a country. Even now, my loyalty to Konoha was still in question. Understandable, I suppose. Anyway, my mind returned to answering the question, one I had never even considered before this moment. "No," I decided. "It sounds too troublesome. I would like to become as strong as a Kage, but I would rather avoid the responsibilities and attention that comes with the position."

"That is what Jiraiya said too, when I asked him. But strangely enough, why didn't the two of you ever consider the authority and the power that comes with the title? Laws don't apply to you. Everybody has to listen to your commands. Utter freedom and discretion for all your actions. I think that is a fair trade-off."

I cocked my head in confusion. "But can't you get all of that if you're strong enough? A fancy title and throne isn't really necessary to have that kind of status. Is that not what happened with Senju Tsunade when she abandoned the village?"

Orochimaru's yellow eyes grew wide with amusement, and a long tongue trailed his lips. "So you're telling me I should abandon this village."

"Not _should_ ," I corrected, " _Can_. Nobody can really stop you if you wanted to."

"That Namikaze brat probably could. He's the fastest man alive, you know?"

I shrugged. "That is probably why he is Hokage, and you are not."

A flash of anger. A mistake on my part. There was a small _whish_ sound, followed by a _thump_. Then I felt the sting of pain and brought my finger to my cheek. It was stained with blood, and I could feel the light cut that had suddenly appeared just next to my eye. When I turned around, there was a kunai sticking out of the wall.

"We have talked too much," Orochimaru said, "now we train."

* * *

"Sensei," Anko said in concern, her eyebrows knotted up as she leaned over to look at me. "Did he say something to make you angry?"

I blinked. When had I fallen unconscious?

Right, during my training with Orochimaru.

"You stabbed me." I shot an accusing look at my supposed teacher, who sat at the corner of the room, his eyes focused more on some lab reports than his bedridden student.

"I merely threw a kunai at you." He flipped a page. "You were too slow to dodge it."

I tried to to feel for the wound in my abdomen, but a dull throbbing pain in my arm caused me to wince. I remembered what happened. Orochimaru threw a punch me. Instinctively I had raised my arms to block, which had been a very bad idea. A Sannin's punch was said to be able to shatter boulders, and my arm was instantly incapacitated. How careless of me, I should have dodged or deflected instead.

"A fractured arm. Mild internal bleeding. A minor concussion. And last but not least, a stab wound that somehow missed all vital organs." Nohara Rin walked into my ward, reading off a clipboard in her hands.

"How lucky of you, Kagura-kun," said Orochimaru dryly. "Seems like I missed."

I rolled my eyes at him, and Rin shook her head. "If this is what happens when you train under a Sannin, then I sure am relieved Tsunade-sama rejected to teach me."

"Tsunade the Sannin?" I asked her.

"Do you know another?"

"No."

Orochimaru scoffed. "Just give it up. Tsunade will never take another student as long as she has Shizune, though I'm fairly certain that poor girl has become more her maid than her apprentice."

Smiling forlornly, Rin sighed, "You're probably right, Orochimaru-sama. Still, I'm not going to give up. She's the best Iryo-nin there is."

"If you're looking to improve," Orochimaru smirked, "Kagura-kun here will be giving you many opportunities to practice and hone your skills for the foreseeable future."

I shuddered. My body felt like lead and I was fairly certain I needed to rest in bed for the rest of the day. I had no doubt if Orochimaru continued to train me, visits to the hospital would become at least a weekly affair.

"Really?!" Rin's eyes lit up in excitement, before immediately morphing into expression of disapproval when she understood the hidden meaning behind the Sannin's words. "This is probably something I should tell Kushina-san. She's worried that you're actually dead because she hasn't seen you in over a month."

"Why?" I was slightly confused, "there's no reason for her to see me, right?"

"Kagura-kouhai, you dummy," Anko facepalmed, "you don't need a reason to visit your friends. I hate to say it, but that woman likes you for some strange reason."

"I see," I said, somewhat getting her meaning. "I am surprised she considers me a friend even though we spent so little time together. Does this mean I should set up a timing to see her soon?"

Rin chuckled. "That'll be difficult. Kushina-san and Sensei are going to be very busy for the next few months, what with the Hokage succession and their wedding."

I noticed a slight frown on Orochimaru's face at the words 'Hokage succession", but my own mind was more focused on the second thing she mentioned.

"Wedding?!" Anko blurted out, "who's crazy and desperate enough to want to marry that old hag?"

"Hey!" Rin folded her arms crossly, throwing a glare at Anko. "Minato-sensei's not crazy. And they've been going out for almost a decade. He proposed last week!" At this, her eyes turned dreamlike, and she made a dainty little pose. "Isn't it just romantic? Classmates turned sweethearts turned husband and wife." She sighed and muttered under her breath, "stupid Kaka-baka still hasn't even asked me out on a real date."

"Minato-san?!" Anko shrieked in disbelief. "The Yellow Flash?"

"Do you know another?" retorted Rin without missing a heartbeat.

Anko scowled. "I can't believe the Hero of Konoha would marry a woman like her! Surely he can find someone better?"

"Excuse me," Rin put her arms on her hips, "but Kushina-san is a loving and caring person." At seeing Anko's skeptical look, she added, "once you get to know her enough. Sensei's lucky to have her. Plus, he's not going to have time to find another woman now that he's going to be Hokage."

The sound of crumpling paper interrupted the two girls. Orochimaru had compressed an entire binder's worth of paper into a ball smaller than his fist.

"Ahhh..." Anko chuckled nervously. "The weather's so hot today, isn't it, Nohara-san?" The question seemed forced, a poor and blantant attempt on Anko's part to change the topic.

But seeing Rin's eyes widen in realization, perhaps that was the point. "Ah, you're right, Mitarashi-san. I will go get some refreshments for you three." Without wasting a moment, the brown-haired girl immediately got up and left the room.

I sighed. The slight movement made my abdomen burn, but I stayed quiet. My only concern right now was to know how long Orochimaru's bad mood would last.

* * *

"Hello, Kagura-kun. Have a seat, please. How have you been?"

Yamanaka Inoichi seemed to be in a good mood. He'd recently become clan head. And word on the street was that he'd gotten married as well. I wondered if he would be able to retain his euphoric buzz after his session with me.

"Tired," I replied. "Orochimaru-sensei is a demanding teacher." It was true. In fact, I had actually looked forward to this psyche evaluation. It was a much needed break in an otherwise exhausting routine the Sannin had planned for me.

He offered me a sympathetic smile, "I can only imagine so. I hope you are not too tired for today, however."

"It's been more than a few months now," I complained, "and you've already seen everything there is to see. Why are we still doing this?"

Still smiling, he replied, "you were in Kiri for five years, Kagura-kun. Exposed to whatever doctrines and propaganda that makes Kiri-nin so fanatical about their village." Fanatical? I resisted the urge to scoff. Kiri had the highest number of missing-nin in the Elemental Nations. A tally I realized I now contributed to as well.

"I will be exposed to whatever doctrines and propaganda that Konoha has as well," I retorted. "They will balance each other out."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Inoichi said innocently, "there are no lies in Konoha. There is only the truth"

I rolled my eyes. "Jokes aside, what little morsel of my brain do you want to pick at today, Yamanaka-san?"

"The tastiest bits. Hmmm... how about your family? Your parents, and your brother?"

I frowned. "This is about Orochimaru killing my father, isn't it?"

Inoichi blinked. "I never said that. But now that you've brought it up," he smiled, "we can talk about it if you want."

"Let's just get this over and done with," I said in resignation, surrendering my forehead to him.

His large hand cupped it, and into my mind we went.

 _'I must admit,'_ Inoichi said as we browsed through my memories, ' _your mind is very organized, even compared to adults. It does makes things easier for me.'_

 _'Anything to make these sessions as short as possible,'_ I replied.

 _'And here I thought we were starting to become friends,'_ he chuckled, feigning disappointment in his voice.

I hesitated for a moment. Even though he had meant it in jest, it did bring up an interesting question. At what point did two people consider themselves to be friends? Was it a mutual understanding? I doubted that was the case, given Kushina's strange and one-sided obsession over me. I was about to ask him more about the subject when we suddenly stopped, and I knew Inoichi had found what he was looking for.

 _'Do you love your parents?'_ Inoichi asked as the memory began to play itself.

It was a scene where my mother, her face blurred out as I had more or less forgotten how she'd looked like, was feeding me. All that showed was her round face and her brown hair. This was when Yagura and I were turning three, just before she was deployed permanently to the front. Next to me, Yagura was clapping his hands gleefully at the sight of food. He was always the more gluttonous between us twins.

I thought about it for a moment. I was grateful to be alive and to exist, no doubt thanks to them. But other than that, I felt little attachment to them otherwise. ' _No,'_ I said.

 _'Hm. Let me rephrase that. Did you ever love your parents?'_

This time I had to think longer. I tried recalling what little interactions I could remember having with them, and the scene in front of us morphed into a montage of random memories. My father carrying us. My mother teaching us how to stretch. My parents playing Hide'and'Seek with Yagura and I. Most of them were happy memories. But that was all they were: memories - relics of an obsolete past.

 _'Maybe,'_ I responded, but still not entirely sure. _'I think I loved them the same way a dog loves its owner, or how newborns attach themselves to the first living being they see. Its instinctive. My attachment to them felt more like a result of imprinting than anything. A shallow kind of love.'_

 _'I agree.'_ Inoichi said. _'Your ability to recognize and identify your feelings is quite impressive. It is something many adults still have trouble with. When I look through your memories, I can tell that your affection for your parents was superficial. You liked them because you were engineered to like them. In fact, I might not even call it love. It is a rather sad conclusion, because I can see that your parents genuinely loved you.'_

 _'They still left,'_ I shrugged _, 'they left Yagura and I all by ourselves. We were barely three years old. We had to survive on our own until we could enter the Academy.'_

 _'Is that bitterness I hear?'_ Inoichi sounded nearly intrigued.

 _'No,'_ I responded immediately. _'It is the truth. They prioritized their duties as Shinobis over their responsibilities as parents. I do not blame them. I cannot imagine child-rearing to be fun. They are ninjas. They spent their whole lives training for war. It was natural for them to choose the former. Parenting was nothing more than a secondary mission for them.'_

 _'Sometimes, I cannot tell if you are naively wise, or wisely naive,'_ Inoichi said.

 _'Is there a difference?'_ I asked.

 _'Definition-wise, it is very small. But it does affect your personality and your outlook on life quite significantly,'_ he answered.

At the mention of it, the scene of my parents departing to the front lines began to play. This was something I had not remembered in a long time. They were dressed in their ninja garb, standing at the front door. They bent down to hug us, and my mother gave me and Yagura small pecks to our cheeks.

Tears.

Not on me, but on Yagura's cheeks. I blinked metaphysically. That was new. Did Yagura actually cry back then? Thinking back on it, he did seem slightly despondent the days following their departure, but I had thought it was the hunger then. I always assumed Yagura had severed his attachments with them, the way I did. I guess he did not. With this newfound revelation, I couldn't help but wonder if he had shed any tears for me too after our own fight.

Inoichi kept quiet for a long time after that flashback ended. _'Your brother seems to have cared for them,'_ he remarked, clearly curious about the detail he had not caught the first time.

 _"Nobody's perfect,'_ I countered.

 _'Yes,'_ he agreed, _'nobody is.'_

Somehow I got the feeling that he wasn't talking about Yagura anymore.

 _'Well then,'_ Inoichi's voice returned to its initial cheerful tone. _'Let's move on to other matters. Depending on your responses, perhaps this could be our last meeting after all. It will soon be your one-year anniversary in Konoha, right?'_

I nodded. It'd been interesting year, though most of it had been spent either cooped up in my home during my house arrest, or stuck in one of Orochimaru's labs. I suppose I also did spend a considerable amount of time in the hospital. Frowning, I made a mental note to actually explore more of Konoha. Who knew when the information could come in useful?

Inoichi then asked me a series of questions, all pertaining to my time in Konoha. Naturally, as this was all in my head, lying was out of question. The mind walker-slash-reader could probably tell when I was telling the truth and when I was not.

 _'What do you like about Konoha?'_

 _'They gave me a second chance to live even when they did not have to. In fact, it was foolish for them to do so. I was quite a significant threat to them.'_

A pause.

 _'And do you think you are still a significant threat to Konoha?'_

 _'No. Orochimaru has placed further seals on the Sanbi to ensure that the Bijuu will remained sealed for the foreseeable future.'_

The slight frown on Inoichi's face told me that wasn't really what he was looking for, though he didn't say anything to confirm it.

 _'And what do you think of the people here?'_

 _'They are different from the people in Kiri. It is a refreshing change. Being around them has helped me learn many things. They are also quite entertaining,'_ I added the last part after thinking about Kushina and the odd times I spent with her.

 _'Do you think of Konoha as home?'_

 _'I suppose so. I have no where else to go, after all.'_

 _'And if you did? Would you choose between Konoha or there?'_

I was confused by his question. _'That would depend on where 'there' is, wouldn't it?'_

Another pause.

 _'Alright, Kagura-kun, I think we're done for today.'_

* * *

"Inoichi, report."

The handsome, blond man in front of Saurtobi Hiruzen straightened. "Yes, Sandaime-sama."

The man sitting next to him, also blond, made a move to leave. "Minato, you stay. You should know about this."

Namikaze Minato nodded, taking his seat again. "What exactly is 'this'?" he asked Inoichi.

"Psyche evaluation. For one Karatachi Kagura," the Yamanaka patriarch replied.

Minato stiffened slightly. Hiruzen knew he was putting the future Yondaime in a difficult spot. His fiance absolutely adored Kagura. In some ways, Kagura was more Kushina's protege than Orochimaru's. Once the Jinchuuriki training began, the child would probably be spending more time with his fellow Jinchuuriki than with the Sannin. Unfortunately, whether the child's development would ever hit such a stage was now up for debate. "Carry on," the aged Hokage said. He sincerely hoped it was good news. He would hate it for Minato's first dilemma to come so soon.

"The fear that Kagura holds a grudge over his father's death is unfounded. He greatly respects Orochimaru, and nothing so far has altered his attitude in the slightest. Not even the hellish training he is going through."

Hiruzen allowed himself a sigh. That was good news.

"Unfortunately, I cannot say the same regarding his flight risk status. The risk is _very_ real."

Hiruzen groaned internally. What was he even thinking? In this line of work, there was always bad news.

"I don't understand," Minato said, "he seemed perfectly fine when he was with eating with us. It even looked like he was having fun!"

"Minato. Kagura's emotions are completely irrelevant in his decision-making process. I have seen it. Even experienced it myself. He is not cruel and ruthless. Nor does he lack compassion and kindness. He is just... logical? I cannot think of any other way to explain it. Even to me, the boy is quite the enigma."

"Explain," Hiruzen ordered.

"Minato. If I suddenly asked you to cut away all your emotional attachment to Kushina, for the sake of the village. Will you be able to do it?"

"What are you talking about?" Minato said in alarm, "I would never do that! And Kushina would never be a threat to Konoha!"

"This is not a matter of willingness. I'm talking about your ability to do so. Are you physically capable of severing all ties to your fiance should the need ever arise?"

With a start, both Minato and Hiruzen began to understand Inoichi's intentions. "No." Minato said, slightly defeated. "I love her. That will not change easily, if it will ever change at all."

Inoichi exhaled deeply. "That is the difference between you and Kagura. Or rather, that is the difference between Kagura and well... everyone else. He will be able to do it instantly, and he will not feel a thing afterwards. He is incredibly disciplined with his emotions. Such easy dissociation... its like being able to cut off one's own limbs on demand."

"So his sense of belonging to the village - no, any village..." Minato trailed off.

"Can disappear in an instant," finished Hiruzen. "But what triggers the change? He can do it out of his own volition, but what is the threshold that has to be crossed for him to do so?"

It was at this point that Inoichi shook his head. "I... do not know. Some of the previous cases seemed to involve avoiding emotional trauma and protecting himself - his parents leaving him, fighting his brother, betraying Kiri. But I highly doubt his own welfare is actually considered when he is making the decision."

"What makes you say that?" Hiruzen asked.

"For the sole reason that if you ordered him to kill himself right now, Hokage-sama," Inoichi replied gravely, "he will do it without a moment's hesitation."

Hiruzen lit his pipe, but didn't put it in his mouth yet. It reassured him somewhat, that _that_ particular option was still on the table.

"How can a six-year-old be so complicated?" Minato asked miserably to nobody in particular.

"He's special," said Hiruzen, "like Kakashi. Like Orochimaru. Use those two for precedence when making your decisions regarding him." _Like you_ , he almost said. But unlike the two mentioned, Minato actually had the social skills of a normal human being.

For a moment, the blond seemed confused, before sighing in defeat. "Right. He's my problem now."

Hiruzen nodded.

"So, _Yondaime-sama_ ," Inoichi smirked and raised an eyebrow, "what do we do with him?"

"He doesn't have any intention to hurt the village, does he?"

"No," Inoichi's face returned professional, "not at the moment. But that is subject to change at the drop of a hat."

"Then it would be unfair for us to punish him for a crime he has not committed," said Minato. "We will continue to nurture him. See if we can alter that dissociative personality of his or, at the very least, seek to understand it."

Hiruzen finally put the pipe in his mouth, drawing a deep tobacco-tasting breath. He had chosen correctly. Orochimaru would not have been so kind.

"But we also need to help deepen his ties to the village. He might be a Jinchuuriki, but that is all the more reason we cannot treat him like an object. He is human, a slightly dysfunctional one, but we must still treat him like such." Hiruzen expected such a response. Given Minato's closeness with Kushina, the topic of Jinchuuriki objectification was certain to rear its head sooner or later.

"What do you have in mind?" Inoichi asked.

"Orochimaru and Kakashi aren't exactly 'people' persons. That is a result of them being far more mature and sharper than their peers. They couldn't relate to others, which left them feeling slightly isolated and lonely. At least until they entered their Genin teams."

"There is no way we can slot him into a Genin Team or put him into the active roster," Hiruzen frowned. "The moment Kiri realizes he is alive, things will become messy. It could even spark a war."

Minato gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about? He's six. He wouldn't fit into either anyway." Hiruzen pulled the pipe out of his mouth. Right, Kagura was six. By all accounts, he should have only just started the Academy if he were a normal child. The war was over and there was no need to accelerate Shinobi intake anymore, he reminded himself. "That being said," Minato continued, "he needs to spend more time with his peers. Or at least children in general. It can't be healthy for him to be holed up in Orochimaru's labs all the time. "

"Orochimaru would never allow him to be enrolled in the Academy," Hiruzen said flatly. He knew his eccentric student (who was he kidding, they were _all_ weird) absolute loathed the time spent in the classrooms.

"Not officially," Minato pointed out. "But him attending lessons once every few days can't hurt, right? It is important for him to learn social skills, as well as subjects like history, something I'm fairly certain Orochimaru has been neglecting. It would do the Academy students good too, if they can see someone their age performing so well."

Hiruzen could see Inoichi nodding his head in agreement. He himself was fairly certain Orochimaru would still oppose such a motion, but kept quiet anyway. The earlier Minato found out about the Sannin's unique style of insubordination, the better. But other than that, the proposal did seem like quite a good one.

"Anything else?" Hiruzen asked, implying his approval.

"Well..." Minato seemed uncertain. "I think I should invite him to my wedding."

Hiruzen blinked. That seemed rather... out of the blue.

"I mean," Minato hastily defended his decision, "weddings are festive occasions, right? They bring communities together, and strengthen cohesion in the village. Attending one could help reinforce Kagura's sense of belonging and homeliness to Konoha!"

For a very long time, Hiruzen looked at him, until Inoichi asked the very question that he too, had been pondering. "Did Kushina put you up to this?"

Minato immediately looked as though a huge load had been lifted off his shoulder, exhaling deeply. "Yea," he scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed, "she wants him to be flower boy."

Hiruzen chuckled.

Minato pursed his lips. "So?"

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you asking me for? It's your wedding. And you're the Hokage now."

* * *

Anko stared at the piece of paper in her hands as if it were pure gold. Her eyes widened with every moment, and her hands began to tremble in excitement. Perhaps I shouldn't have shown it to her.

"This is..." she whispered.

Yes, I definitely shouldn't have shown it to her.

She took a deep breath. "Can it really be?"

She thrust the paper into the air, her eyes sparkling as she shouted, "IS THIS REALLY AN INVITATION TO MINATO-SAN'S WEDDING?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked in annoyance. "Of course it is, it says so right on the paper. And Kushina-san was the one to give it to me." I shook my head in mild disbelief. It was strange seeing my demonic and sadistic senior reduced to such a blubbering mess whenever Minato got involved.

"Sensei! I've been invited to Minato-san's wedding!" she ran up to Orochimaru with the piece of paper, waving it in the air like it was a winning lottery ticket.

The Sannin clicked his tongue, pausing from whatever report he was flipping through to glance at the sheet Anko had thrust into his face.

"No, you weren't," he said when he was done reading. " _Kagura's_ been invited, not you. It's his name on the card."

Anko looked as though her whole world had suddenly fallen apart as she collapsed onto the floor. "No way..." she murmured. I blinked. The invitation was meant for me? I assumed it was a joint invitation for the three of us.

"It says he can bring a guest," Orochimaru said. "I have no interest in going by the way. I have better things to do. So you'd better ask Kagura nicely if you can be his plus-one."

All of a sudden, Anko flew from Orochimaru to the floor in front of me, the sweetest, and thus the fakest, smile on her face I'd seen yet. "Kagura-kouhai~" she sang. "I've been such a good senpai to you, haven't I~"

I frowned. "Last week you forced me to go shopping with you and made me carry all your stuff even though you're bigger and stronger than me."

"Ah, I'm going to pretend you didn't just call me fat," she waved her hand dismissively, "and let's not dwell on the past now, yea? The point is, you can bring along one guest and you've got no other friends, so by default it's me, right?"

"Inoichi-san is my friend," I said, thinking about it for a while. "I think," I added.

Anko's eye twitched. "Are you seriously considering bringing your _psyche evaluator_ over me?"

"No," I said. "I was just counting the number of... friends I have. I think Kushina-san is my friend too, but I think it's safe to assume she has her own invite to the wedding."

"She's the bride, duh," Anko said exasperatedly.

"And Nohara-san treats me quite nicely at the hospital every time I am there. And Kakashi-san also waved to me that one time I saw him on the street. But since they're Minato-san's students I think they already have their own invites." I counted mentally. "So including you, Anko-senpai, I have about... five friends." I looked up to her, "is that a lot?"

"That," she beamed, "is a pathetically small number."

"Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. "It's more than I had in Kiri, so I thought it was acceptable."

"It's not," Anko said flatly, "which is why you have to bring me there. So I can teach you how to make many more new friends!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yea!" she nodded enthusiastically, "So hurry up and tell that red-haired bitch that your guest is going to be me!"

"Anko-senpai?"

"Yes, Kagura-kouhai?"

"I don't think you should call the bride a bitch while we're actually there."

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Anko swore.

"Anko-senpai," I reminded her, "language."

"Shit, I know," she said, covering her mouth and taking a few deep breaths. "It's just... there are so many important people here."

The wedding was held on one of the training grounds, a flat field that had been decorated and re-purposed to suit the occasion. There were dozens of people milling about, and judging from their appearances, most of them were ninjas. Powerful ones.

Anko was clearly out of her depth, and it was even starting to affect me. I tugged at my new Kimono. Anko had promptly taken me shopping after taking a look at my non-existent wardrobe. _"You can't go to the future Hokage's wedding in torn and bloody clothes!"_ she had said, conveniently forgetting that she was the one who tore them in the first place. It was ocean-blue, and Anko had protested at first when I chose it. _"You're supposed to be trying to show people you've gotten over Kiri!"_

In the end, we found nothing else my size that looked good, and Anko had begrudgingly let me wear it.

"Psst," she whispered to me, pointing at a man who stood out from the rest due to his large size and long spiky white hair. When he turned, I saw that he had war paint on his face, a streak of red down his cheeks that made him look as though he was crying blood. "That's Jiraiya, Minato's teacher and Sensei's teammate." Another Sannin? "He's basically Minato's father. He was an orphan, you know?"

I gave her an odd look. "How come you know so much about him?"

"I, uh" she fumbled, having obviously been caught off guard. "I may have stalked him a little?"

"Why would you ever do that?"

"Shhh, it's our turn now," she cut me off and stepped forward.

"Names and invitation card please?" the woman sitting at the table asked. Anko immediately froze when we got a closer look at her. She had obsidian hair with equally dark eyes. Even though her complexion was pale, I had a nagging feeling that the woman in front of me was a Kunoichi, and not one to be trifled with.

"Karatachi Kagura and Mitarashi Anko," I said on behalf of Anko, who was still trying to get over her shock.

"Oh! Kagura-kun. Kushina's told me all about you!" The woman immediately stood up and gestured for me to follow her as someone else took her place at the registration table. Why would Kushina tell her all about me? "I'm Mikoto, one of Kushina's friends. Has she told you what you're doing yet?"

I tilted my head. "No?"

Sighing, she shook her head. "I knew it. She's always like this. Kagura-kun, you're the flower boy."

"Oh, okay," I said. "What do I have to do?" Naturally, I'd never gone to a wedding before, and was unfamiliar with the different roles and practices.

"What?!" Anko exclaimed from the side. "How come he's the flower boy? Do you need a flower girl?"

"Ah, sorry," laughed Mikoto, "I'm afraid we already have one. And I don't think you're young enough, Mitarashi-san. Wait here, the both of you. I'll go find the flower girl, and then I can explain to the both of you together." She walked away, leaving Anko and I standing at the beginning of the aisle.

"No fair," she muttered. "All the adults seem to like you for some reason. You're even the flower boy!"

"That woman seemed nice," I remarked, ignoring her whining.

"Oi Kagura," Anko blinked at me. "Do you not know who she is?"

"She's Mikoto-san," I replied, "Kushina-san's friend. Did you not hear her just now?"

"No! I mean yes! But she's _way more_ than that! She's Uchiha Mikoto, wife of the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan."

"So?" I asked. "Inoichi-san is also a Clan Head. You don't seem offset by him."

Her eyes grew wide. "The Uchiha Clan! They're a Founding Clan! They're Nobility! Uchiha Mikoto's basically a princess in Konoha! Plus, she used to be a top Jounin before she became a mother!"

"That seems wasteful," I said, "giving up years of training just to raise a child."

Anko threw her hands up in resignation. "I give up. It's like you're not even listening to me. One of these days I'm going to ask Sensei to dissect that weird brain of yours just to see how it works."

"Kagura-kun! Mitarashi-san!" Mikoto called out, tugging on the hand of child that looked exactly like a miniature version of her.

"Huh, who's this?" Anko eyed the child, who looked back with a steady gaze.

"This is my daughter, Itachi. She's the flower girl."

* * *

 **A/N: Haha, surprise? I guess now you know where the romance is going to go. But it won't develop until way in the future though. Yep, so I gender-bent Itachi, who I feel doesn't really get enough showtime in canon or even the FF community as he (or she, in my fic) deserves. Her personality will pretty much be the same, so don't worry too much. I'm not comfortable writing slash, which is why I gender bent her, but please don't take this as a sign of homophobia, heh. I'm totally chill wth LGBTQ! But yes, as fellow prodigies, Kagura and Itachi will share a special bond!**

 **Fav, Follow, Review! You can also PM if you want!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Itachi was a quiet girl. No, she wasn't quiet, I realized. Just observant. Even when her mother was explaining our roles to us, her eyes flicked about the entire venue, taking in every sight and sound. Standing next to her... it reminded me a little bit of standing next to Yagura. It was not a sensation that I minded.

Anko had long since left to take her seat with Kakashi and Rin, leaving me and Itachi alone. The silence wasn't particularly awkward, but part of the reason why I had come in the first place was to make new friends. And for that, communication was key.

"You're an Uchiha?" I asked.

She looked up in surprise, as if she had been expecting our entire time together to pass in silence. Slowly, she nodded.

"Do you have your Sharingan yet?" I asked again.

This time, she shook her head.

"Oh," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. "I've never seen one before. The pictures I've seen of them look very nice though."

I thought the conversation would have ended there, given her tendency to reply non-verbally. I waved at Inoichi as he walked by, dressed in his formal clan attire instead of the ninja fatigues I was used to seeing him in. He waved back and offered me a small smile. The Hokage walked in as well, accompanied by a middle-aged woman that was probably his wife. A pair of ANBU flanked them both. What was the point? I wondered. Did they really expect to be attacked in a wedding post-war? And certainly wasn't the Hokage supposed to be strong enough to defend himself in any case?

"The average Uchiha only awakens their Sharingan around the time of puberty. It usually only matures well past into adulthood." A soft voice suddenly spoke next to me.

"You can talk," I remarked.

Itachi nodded silently. I sighed. As if that response hadn't been self-defeating.

"You said the average Uchiha," I repeated. "What about you? Are you average?"

Her nose scrunched up, and her eyebrows narrowed. "No," she finally said. "Father says I am special."

"Does that mean you'll get your Sharingan earlier or later?"

She seemed to consider for a moment. "Earlier, I think," she replied.

There was no doubt about it now. Uchiha Itachi was similar to me. Interesting. "Are you planning on becoming a ninja?" I asked. It would be a shame for her not to be.

Another nod. "Father is training me. One day I will be Clan Head. I must be strong enough to lead the Clan." She did not seem happy about it. Neither was she upset. She simply accepted the fact. For a rare moment, my mind drifted off. I thought about what life would have been like if I had killed Yagura and remained in Kiri. When Uchiha Itachi would have been my enemy instead of my fellow flower-girl. Who would win?

"And you?" she asked. "Where do you come from?"

A number of people, including Orochimaru himself, had instructed me on how to respond in the event someone ever asked about my background. "Can't tell you," I winked playfully. "It's a secret." There was also a fabricated backstory, but lies were difficult to maintain and could always be discovered. Childish mischief was still the best response.

"I see," she said neutrally. I wondered if she was upset that I withheld it from her. Not that it was my choice, but she would not have known that. "You are not training to be a Shinobi, are you? I have not seen you around in the Academy."

I pursed my lips slightly. Itachi was asking all the difficult questions I couldn't answer very honestly. "Probably not," I said. "The people around me do not want me to become one." _At least, not an official one_ , I thought.

"Perhaps that is for the best," she nodded her head. "It is a dangerous path, and not many can handle the stress and risks of the job."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you looking down on me?" Because it genuinely sounded as though she didn't believe I was cut out to be ninja.

Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I did not mean to offend you. I was merely stating a fact. I do not know you well enough to determine your compatibility with a ninja career. But still, being a ninja... it's not something everyone can do."

 _It is the only thing I can do_ , I thought, thinking about the Bijuu sealed into me. Being a Jinchuuriki didn't give me any other options.

A gong rang. It was immediately followed by silence as everybody cut their chatter and rose to their feet.

"The ceremony is beginning," whispered Itachi, to which I nodded. Minato was already at the altar, sitting on a seat. The famed Jounin looked nervous, and his fingers drummed on the armrests in anticipation. The seat next to him remained empty. With a start, I realized the yellow flower petals in Itachi's basket matched his hair color perfectly.

I looked at my own. Bright red rose petals, the exact same shade as Kushina's tresses.

Our job was simple enough. Walk behind Kushina when she arrived and scatter the petals behind her. Any idiot could do it, though tradition dictated it had to be a child.

The sound of creaking doors caused me to turn. Kushina had finally arrived. The make-up made her look nearly unrecognizable. Her face was unbelievably white with foundation, but it was clear that the main focus of her appearance was the color red. Her hair, tied up into a intricate bun secured with a golden hairpin, matched her lipstick and blush perfectly. The elegant dress she wore accentuated her slim figure, and she walked towards us with the gracefulness of a goddess.

"Kushina-neesan," I breathed aloud in wonder when I realized she had walked up to me already. "You're beautiful."

Her smile was dazzling, showing off a set of pearl-white teeth that seemed brighter than the Sun itself. "Thank you," she said softly, and continued to walk. I stared after her, realizing the rest of the crowd was equally entranced by her mere presence as I was.

Minato's eyes glistened with tears ready to drop at a moment's notice.

"Kagura!" a violent whisper reached my ear.

I turned. Itachi was glaring at me. She nudged her head towards the basket in her hands, and then towards Kushina's retreating figure.

Oh no.

I stuck my hand into my basket and grabbed a fistful of petals. They were surprisingly soft and delicate, and I relaxed my grip to prevent me from completely crushing them. Then I threw it into the air as I made my first step forwards. Itachi copied my actions down to the second, and our combined efforts resulted in a enthralling rain of red and yellow that trailed in the wake of the bride.

 _Grab._

 _Step._

 _Throw._

 _Grab._

 _Step._

 _Throw._

We fell into a steady rhythm, Itachi's movements completely in step with mine. I did not know if we were doing our jobs perfectly, but judging from the tears falling from the crowd, they seemed to appreciate it. I glanced at Itachi. Her face was locked in a neutral expression. But when she caught me looking, she let out a small smile and gave a nod of encouragement.

As we walked, I scanned the crowd. I saw Anko, clapping enthusiastically together with Rin, while Kakashi stood next to them, his applause much more muted and relaxed. I saw the Hokage, who stared at the both of them, looking like a proud father. Inoichi stood next to Choza, together with a third man, who had his hair tied up in a spiky ponytail and two nasty-looking scars running along the side of his face. Jiraiya was standing next to crying Minato, and placed a comforting hand on his back, whispering into his ear.

After what felt like an eternity, Kushina reached the alter and took her rightful seat next to Minato. Their hands crossed their armrests as they intertwined their fingers together. The applause began to die and everybody sat back down, signifying the end of our task.

Hiding in the shadow of a nearby tree, Mikoto beckoned us towards her.

"Great job, the two of you. It was a splendid display!" she beamed when we arrived.

"Kagura got distracted," Itachi said, slightly annoyed. "We almost missed the timing."

That was true. I felt slightly ashamed that I lost track of our task because I had been enraptured with Kushina's entrance.

"Well, who can blame him? Kushina's breathtaking," she sighed. "It reminds me of when I married your father, Itachi. I still remember the dropping jaws when I made my entrance then."

"Mother, I think you're still breathtaking," Itachi smiled.

"Aw," Mikoto cooed and placed her hand on Itachi's head, "that's a very sweet thing to say, Itachi."

I swore Itachi glowed afterwards.

"You two wait here and watch, okay? I need to prepare for the next part of the wedding," Mikoto instructed us. When we nodded, she gave us a thumbs up. "You both did well today. I'm very proud of you both."

Itachi's chest swelled with pride at praise. As we watched Mikoto saunter away, I realized that one of my petals had gotten caught in her hair, tucked into one of her braids right above her ear.

I made a move to remove it, but Itachi turned and looked at me.

"Kagura, is there something wrong?"

I was about to point it out, but Itachi suddenly raised a finger towards the couple, and said excitedly, "look, they're going to make their speech!"

Her eyes widening with fascination, and her lips twitching upwards in a grin, she eagerly awaited for the bride and groom to begin talking. Oh well, I suppose the petal could stay. It made her look quite pretty.

"Oh sorry," she said, turning back to me, "what were you about to say?" She looked quite elated, happier than I'd seen so far. The petal really suited her, I realized.

"Nothing," I replied with a smile of my own. "Everything's perfect the way it is right now."

* * *

I got tired of all the talking very quickly.

I had listened to Kushina and Minato speak. They said the same things: how they loved one another, why they loved another, and other things about life and love that I simply didn't understand. Then their friends came up to share anecdotes and stories, which amused the guests greatly. At one point, even Mikoto went up, much to Itachi's delight.

I began to tune out the endless drabbles. Instead I focused my attention on one of the few remaining petals left in my basket. I still remembered Anko's demonstration with the dango sticks a few weeks earlier. I wondered if the same could be done with flower petals.

Gingerly, I held it between my index finger and my thumb, placing my hand by my side and covertly looking downwards so no one would see what I was doing. I was fairly certain I wasn't supposed to be training during the wedding.

But I was bored, so...

Carefully, I began to pump chakra into the petal, and a tiny current of energy began to flow from my fingers into it. Slowly, the flaccid structure of the petal began to harden. Its curled edges began to straighten. Its soft and flimsy nature was replaced with a firm and rigid one.

And then it exploded with a nearly inaudible _'pop'_ sound into a fine red mist of organic matter. Whoops. Too much chakra.

Itachi's head snapped and she looked at me. My eyes remained fixated on the stage where Jiraiya was talking about the first time the newlyweds got drunk together. The crowd suddenly erupted into laughter.

Seemingly unable to find anything amiss, Itachi's attention returned to the wedding itself. I let out a breath I'd been unconsciously holding. That was close.

I reached for another petal.

This time I stopped the chakra flow moments before the previous explosion happened. It was now saturated with as much chakra as possible. With a flick of my finger, I sent it spinning towards the tree next to me like I would have with a shuriken. Upon impact, it crumpled before falling to the ground in an undignified heap.

I wasn't very disappointed. A petal was naturally weak - there was only so far chakra enhancement could take it. Anko's words about wind chakra came back to me, about how it increased the cutting and penetrating power of weapons. Too bad the only practice with elemental manipulation I had was with water.

I blinked. But couldn't water cut just as easily as wind? I knew of techniques where blades of water could slice through flesh as easily as a hot knife through butter. And though I did not know exactly how to perform it, I was aware of the physics behind it.

A thin and sharp edge.

High velocity and pressure.

Those two factors combined could allow water techniques to cut through even boulders.

Now I just needed to figure out a way to apply it to a petal.

I studied the object in my hand. The first criterion was obviously met. The petal's thickness was similar to a sword at its edge. I just didn't know how to achieve the second criterion. Even if I could coat the edge of the petal with a layer of water, I doubted I could ever throw it hard and fast enough for it to actually cut through anything thicker than paper.

I needed a way to generate speed. The petal didn't need to travel very fast. Only the water did. Similar to a buzzsaw. The metal disc itself could inch towards its target at a snail's pace, but as long as its spinning blade rotated fast enough, it could cut through almost anything.

That was it! Angular velocity. I needed to generate chakra spin within the petal. Just like with a buzzsaw.

With that in mind, I flooded the petal with chakra again, this time converting the energy into water as I did so. I could soak a leaf; there should be no problem with a petal. Soon enough, the petal became damp with chakra-infused water. The petal was made of organic tissue. That meant it was a good chakra conductor, and I could feel the water inside of it responding exactly the way I willed it to.

I pictured a whirlpool in the leaf, the vortex right in the center, and commanded the water to spin around it. At first, the petal felt no different. Then as the angular momentum continued to increase, it began to vibrate lightly in my hand. It almost felt like I was spinning a shiruken between my fingertips.

Excited, I stealthily took out another petal, bringing it towards the edge of the one infused with my chakra. I continued to increase its rotational speed. If I focused hard enough, I could see a thin layer of water covering its edge, spinning faster than the naked eye could distinguish. The petal acted only as a medium to hold the water together. It wasn't actually spinning with the water, but trying to do the same using my chakra alone would result in the water splashing all over the place at higher speeds. Until my chakra control was good enough to compress my chakra while spinning it, the petal was a necessity.

But just as the two petals were about to make contact, the weaponized one suddenly began to distort, followed by it ripping into many tinier fragments. I stopped the annoyed grunt from escaping my throat. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. The water was spinning at ridiculous speeds, and the smallest imbalance would have completely overwhelmed the structural integrity of the fragile petal.

Undeterred, I tried again, this time paying particular attention to the flow of chakra to ensure that the spinning speeds of the water was uniform within. It was rather challenging, and I had to constantly make small adjustments to compensate for the small material inconsistencies that existed within the petal itself. A thicker cell wall could weaken chakra conduction. Gaps between cells could create avenues for chakra leakages or blockages. The mishmash of living and dead cells also affected the ease of which chakra flowed through it. All these minute details created tiny imbalances that had to be rectified for the spinning chakra to remain stable.

It took several tries, and by the time I was done, there was a small pile of red dust gathered at my feet from failed attempts, but I was finally confident of maintaining the technique. When I brought a fresh petal to the edge, it immediately split, the two halves drifting towards the floor like dead leaves during autumn. I smiled in satisfaction. Next target, the tree.

The results were better than I expected. The petal dug into the bark of the tree, the spinning layer of water offering a buffer layer that kept it intact. With every spin, the petal bit deeper until it finally stopped when nearly two thirds of it was submerged in the wood before falling out, descending towards the ground peacefully, as if it were an ordinary flower than had dropped from one of the tree's branches.

I noticed a small hiss of steam coming from the wound, and realized the demise of the technique arose when the frictional heat generated caused all the water to evaporate. No Jutsu was perfect, it seemed. Still, my experiment was a success.

My spinning flower petal of doom could probably cause more internal damage and pain than a normal shuriken, though its strength was probably slightly weaker. More importantly however, the thinness of the petal meant I could launch dozens at once, compared to shuriken which were far too bulky for my small hands to handle more than four at any given time. I saw great potential in the technique. As my chakra control improved, I could probably control the petal from a distance. When combined with my Hiding in the Mist Jutsu, I could imbue a whole section of a forest with my chakra, allowing me to trigger the technique remotely. The possibilities were endless.

The coordination and control required was far beyond me at my current level, but that was something that could be fixed with time and training. As I thought about it deeper, I realized the sheer devastation the technique could create. My technique, I realized. This was _my_ technique, and mine alone. Nobody knew about it. I was nearly giddy with excitement, and instantly I began to devise training schedules and programs to work on my newfound discovery.

At least, until Itachi coughed. My heart stopped for a moment, and I could feel the blood drain from my face. I had completely forgotten that she was behind me.

When I turned around, she had her hands folded across her chest and a disapproving frown on her face. "We're at a wedding," she said, as if I didn't already know that. For a moment, her eyes broke contact with mine, settling on the lone rose petal laying at the base of the tree. Then she was back to glaring at me.

"How much did you see?" I asked.

"Enough to know that you lied," she said. Her frown got deeper. "I thought you said you weren't training to be a ninja." she accused.

"No, I didn't lie. I only said that the people around me didn't want me to be one," I said, recalling the conversation we had earlier, "I never mentioned what _I_ _wanted_."

Judging from the way her mouth twitched, she hadn't seen, nor did she like, that particular loophole. But still, she kept quiet. A small part of me felt some pride at having outsmarted her.

"I've made my decision," she declared grumpily.

"And what's that?" I asked, slightly worried that she was going to expose me immediately.

"I've decided that you are very well-suited to be a ninja."

* * *

 _Well this is embarrassing,_ I thought as I was carted down the hallways of the hospital. _And slightly underwhelming too_.

Of all the ways I pictured myself dying, I never expected to go from a stomach bug.

"Hang in there, Kagura," Anko grabbed my hand tightly, running along side the nurses that were pushing me towards the treatment room.

"Erratic heart rate, low vitals, rapid breathing rate, he's going to lose consciousness soon!" someone next me yelled.

Already, I had lost the strength to keep my eyes open. My eyelids felt like lead, and my attempt at opening them resulted in seeing dancing blackspots instead of the hospital ceiling. At that point, I decided it was better to keep them closed.

"Damn it," Anko cursed, "and I told Sensei not to put so much poison in your food!"

 _Wait what?_

And that was when I lost consciousness.

When I came to, it was evening already. There was a mild stinging sensation near my elbow that I recognized as an IV drip hooked to my forearm, and I basked in the now-familiar sensation of a hospital bed.

I blinked groggily. I still felt terrible. Exhausted wasn't a strong enough word to describe it. It was as though every single ounce of strength had been sucked out of my body, leaving behind a lifeless husk that couldn't even lift its hand.

It took a while for my vision to focus.

I was not alone. Anko and Rin were seated across one another in front of me, engaged in a furious staring battle.

I tried to recall what happened, still not entirely sure why I felt like I had died and come back to life. The day started out like any other, I remembered. In the morning, Anko and I worked on my chakra control and elemental manipulation. I was supposed to create a sphere of water and shape it according to Anko's instructions. My memory got hazy after lunch, when I was having a mock battle with Anko under Orochimaru's watchful eye. I had gotten nauseous and queasy. My body felt weakened and I had begun to shiver. That was when the vomiting began.

Right. The stomach bug.

"An...ko?" I croaked. God, I even sounded horrible.

"Kagura-kouhai!" The girls looked up, "you're awake!"

Rin immediately was at my side, pressing her fingers against my wrist to measure my pulse. Then she forced my eyelids open with her finger and shone a light at me. It was bright, and I tried to shirk away from the it. "His vitals are normal, though slightly weak. His cognitive reflexes seem alright. I think it's best to keep him under observation for at least another day." She said in relief.

"What... happened?" I could barely manage a soft whisper.

"You nearly died, that's what happened," Rin said unhappily. "And it isn't even your fault this time."

"Just my luck," I grimaced, "there must have been something wrong with my food. I did not know food poisoning was so... painful." Thinking back, I realized this was actually the first time I'd fallen ill.

"Food poisoning? So you knew?" Rin asked.

"Knew what?" I asked back.

Rin cocked her head. "Knew that Anko and Orochimaru-sama have been putting poison and venom in your food."

I blinked. I turned my head to look at Anko, who suddenly looked very guilty and refused to meet me in the eye. "No," I shook my head, "I did not know." Though... that would explain things.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rin exploded in anger towards Anko, who recoiled back, "You guys didn't even _tell him_? He's only six!"

Anko pouted. She pressed her fingers the way she always did when she was put on the spot. "Sensei said not to, it would slow down the immunization process if he knew."

"That's bullshit," Rin said. "How long have you guys been spiking his meals?"

Anko seemed to think about it for a while. That wasn't a good sign. "About nine months? Maybe slightly more? Well, basically the week after he came in."

The Iryo-nin looked as though she was either about to break down in tears or erupt in fury. "Wait," she suddenly said. "Nine months?" Then she turned to me, a flummoxed expression on her face. "And this is the first time you've felt any discomfort?"

I nodded. I hadn't even realized anything was wrong until today.

"We aren't stupid, you know," Anko rolled her eyes at Rin. "Of course we started him out on low dosages and weaker variations. The first time, it wasn't even enough to kill an ant. Then we slowly increased it. Oddly enough, he didn't even show any discomfort even after we starting raising it to the point it could kill a rodent. Sensei said it's because he's got a special body that's sturdier and heals quicker, and that's why he could adapt to it so quickly. So we started to increase the dosages faster."

Ah, the benefits of being a Jinchuuriki. Up till now, neither Anko nor Rin were aware of that little tidbit of information about me. As far as I knew, the only ones who were privy to that so far were the Hokage, Orochimaru, Inoichi, Kushina, Minato, and Kakashi. There were probably others as well, though the Hokage did mention keeping it as tightly wrapped as possible.

"What kind of chemicals did you put?" Rin asked, starting to actually sound curious instead of upset. "And what dosages are you guys currently at?"

Anko laughed sheepishly. "Pretty much everything? Sensei even got his hands on some of the Suna ones. Of course some of the poisons react together, so we had to plan each individual meal to maximize the effects. As for the dosages... I'm pretty sure most adults would be dead by now."

"I..." Rin stuttered out, "I'm actually speechless."

"As am I," I agreed, "though I am slightly curious to know why I suddenly developed such a negative reaction all so suddenly. Did you guys suddenly increase the concentration?"

Anko looked as if I had asked a very bad question. Rin nodded thoughtfully as well, wanting to know the answer too. "Well... not really. The concentrations were only slightly higher. But uh..." Anko fidgeted some more, clearly not wanting to say anymore.

"But?" I pressed on.

"We may have added a new strain?" she said guiltily. "In my defense, even I told Sensei it was too soon, but he didn't agree."

"What strain... could possibly do so much damage on a person that's already immune to almost everything else?" Rin asked skeptically. Even I wanted to know.

"Uh... Salamander poison. More specifically... Hanzo's."

"Hanzo the Salamander," I repeated for clarification, because... well, I wanted to be sure.

"Uh huh," Anko nodded her head. "Sensei still has some samples from the time he fought him. We diluted it... but I guess it's still some pretty potent stuff."

Rin had gone as white a sheet. "I don't understand... it's like you're trying to kill him every other week," she mumbled. I could see her hands shaking, and blood flowed down her lip where she bit it too hard. Then she clenched her fists and slammed the table. "WHY DO YOU GO SO FAR?"

The room was dead silent for a while. A nurse walked by, popping her head in at the commotion, but left immediately when she so Rin was already inside. I'd never seen Rin lose her temper, and judging by Anko's stunned face, neither did she.

Anko looked slightly ashamed. "It's different for us. We have bigger shoes to fill," she said softly, "so we have to do everything we can to show everyone we deserve to be the apprentices of a Sannin. We're not like you, Rin. If your skills ever stagnated, nobody would say a thing. But the same can't be said for us. Even if it costs us our lives, we have to get stronger."

Rin looked at me. "And you're alright with this, Kagura-kun? You're only six! You shouldn't be doing these kinds of things so soon!"

I smiled weakly at her. Every time I ended up in the hospital from some training incident, it was always her that attended to me. And every time her concern for me was genuine, and she would sit by my bed to keep me company if she had no one else to heal, even if we didn't talk much. I had come to appreciate her presence, and seeing her so upset was slightly off-putting. "It's alright, Rin-san," I managed to say. "I'm still alive. What kind of Snake Summoner apprentice would I be if I wasn't immune to their poisons and venom? Besides... it's Anko and Orochimaru-sensei. I trust them."

The words came out naturally. It was only after I was done speaking that I realized it. _I trusted them_. It was strange... admitting that I was willing to put my life in the hands of others. This was different from following the Mizukage's orders to die. This was knowing that no matter what happened, Anko and Orochimaru would not let me die. Yet, I felt perfectly at ease after coming to terms with myself. Perhaps this strange feeling was the mythical Will of Fire everyone seemed to possess. Did it mean I was finally becoming a real Konoha-nin?

Anko seemed happier hearing it. "See? He gets it too." Rin still looked uncertain.

"Fine," she said in resignation, "do what you want. Just promise me that you'll know when you need to stop."

I nodded. "I have already made a promise before not endanger myself unnecessarily." Anko beamed when I said it. It seemed to soothe Rin's fears, and she stood up.

"I'll hold you to that," Rin said sternly, "now I need to get your dinner."

"Wait!" Anko called out, pulling out a vial containing a yellow liquid inside. "Could you pour this in his soup?"

I blinked. So much for a recovery period. Rin, still slightly slow on the uptake, eyed it in curiosity as she took it. "What is this?" she asked, swirling it in the air.

Anko grinned cheekily. "His next dosage!"

* * *

"And you came up with this? All by yourself? In the span of one wedding?" Orochimaru asked, a small amount of disbelief tinging his voice as he observed my flower petal technique.

I nodded. Acquiring an abundant supply of petals had been easy. I had a standing invitation from Inoichi to visit the flower shop his clan operated. He had been more than willing, though slightly mystified, to give me all the petals from his expired products.

"Fascinating. I am impressed. The elemental manipulation and chakra control required is definitely at least High-Chunin to Low-Jounin level." I frowned when I realized he wasn't complimenting the technique itself. "However, there are many obvious limitations that hinders its usefulness as a Jutsu. If anything, I would classify it as a complicated chakra exercise."

"And if my intention with it is to simply use the petals as a cheaper replacement for shuriken?" I asked. Orochimaru gave me a small allowance, though most of my living expenses were already taken care of by him. However, ninja supplies were something I had to procure on my own, and they were not cheap.

Orochimaru seemed to consider it. "They will be adequate for now. The sheer increase in volume will make up for the glaring weaknesses such a switch will expose."

"Such as?" I asked.

"A weak fire Jutsu is sufficient to boil the water in an instant, and burn the petal subsequently. That is not something you can exploit with metal-forged shuriken. Ideally, you should learn to transpose this technique to metal tools. That is still the most optimal choice."

"Is there anyway I can improve on this technique? How do I turn it into a real Jutsu?" I asked curiously.

Orochimaru tilted his head at me, as if he was trying to dissect me with his eyes. "There already is an existing Jutsu that utilizes this concept somewhat. I thought that is where you got your inspiration from."

What? For a moment, I was stunned. But after mulling it over, I supposed it seemed unlikely that I was the first person to think of using chakra in such a fashion. "What Jutsu?" I asked.

Orochimaru stared at me, probably weighing the risks and benefits of showing me what was probably either a secret or a dangerous Jutsu. Then he stretched out his hand, putting his palm in front of my face.

"This is what you are doing within the petal," he said.

Slowly, translucent blue chakra began to swirl into his palm, forming a discus shape and spinning rapidly.

"Except you add in water chakra transformation."

His face turned into one of concentration for a moment. Very quickly, the chakra transformed into water, resulting in a spinning disc of water. It looked as if it was his first time doing something of this nature. He'd done it so quickly, while it'd taken me a whole afternoon to perfect. Orochimaru really was a genius. But either way, he was right. The spinning disc of water above his palm was exactly what I pictured to be going on in the petal whenever I performed my new technique.

"There are only four things you do to achieve this. The order isn't very important, though ideally you can do all four at once. First, shape transformation. Your chakra flattens itself to form the disc-like shape. Second, chakra control. You ensure that the chakra rotation is uniform and uni-directional which, by the way, is far harder to do in air than you would think. Third, chakra compression. At such high speeds and energy, your chakra will naturally become unstable and wishes to be released. So you apply constant pressure to ensure that your chakra is stable. Lastly, elemental manipulation. You convert your chakra into water."

I nodded blankly in agreement. That was a remarkably accurate summation of the hours of effort on my part. It amazed me how accurately he could break down my technique with a single look.

"Don't even bother to try learning what I'm going to demonstrate at your current level. I only know of three others besides myself who can do it, and only two of them can do it quick enough for it to be of any use." He answered my unasked question immediately, "And no, neither of them are me." He ignored my surprised expression. "The real Jutsu," he continued speaking, "requires the exact same four things. Except the difficulty is one dimension higher. "

One dimension? That was a weird way to phrase it.

"First, chakra transformation." Chakra began to gather in his palm again, except it was no longer flat. It was sphere, about the size of a grapefruit, far larger than the disc before. Oh, the 'one dimension' comment suddenly made sense. "It has to be a perfect sphere. If not, the Jutsu will collapse shortly after."

"Second, chakra control." And then the chakra sphere began to spin. But not in one direction, but every single one. A chaotic mess of vectors all compressed into a ball. Like a miniature typhoon in his palms. "Before, everything was going in the same direction. Now, you must rapidly spin your chakra in completely random directions, so random that the net sum of movement cancels out. Failure to do so will cause you to lose the shape and the Jutsu will collapse."

"Thirdly, chakra compression." The spinning began to increase, and the sphere began to vibrate slightly where it was floating above his hand. The intensity began to grow, until it was making a high-pitched whirring sound. It was as though Orochimaru had captured a hurricane and condensed into a ball in his palm. "You keep increasing your chakra while maintaining the shape and structure. This step affects the power behind the attack. It is far harder to do with a three-dimensional sphere than it is with a disc."

I was awed. I could already tell that the unnamed Jutsu held incredible destructive power behind it. Forget trees, it could easily shatter a boulder. And that was only with the first three steps. I kept waiting for him to continue, but when he extinguished the Jutsu instead, I asked him, "Orochimaru-sensei, what happened to the fourth step?"

"It's an incomplete Jutsu. Nobody's managed to add elemental manipulation to it while maintaining its stability." I blinked and looked at him with suspicion. "Not that I've tried," he added disinterestedly, "I have better things to do with my time than to perfect somebody else's Jutsu."

It wasn't his?

"Who made it?" I asked. It was an ingenious attack. Once mastered, no hand seals were even required, and its activation speed was only limited by the user's proficiency with chakra. Its inventor must have been truly formidable with it.

"Our newly christened Yondaime Hokage, _Namikaze Minato_ ," Orochimaru said with great displeasure. "It is his other signature move besides the Hiraishin. It is called the Rasengan."

"And he taught it to you?" I asked in curiosity.

"No, I stole it." Orochimaru said proudly. "I saw him use it once, immediately understood the theory behind it, and spent weeks trying to reverse engineer it. Not that I plan to ever use it. If it were not my goal to learn every Jutsu in existence, I would never have bothered to learn it in the first place. Still," he paused, "it is as good a chakra exercise as any. Perhaps when you're older you can try to replicate it by yourself. Maybe you can even complete it."

I looked down at the lone flower petal in my own palm. "So I discovered how to do the dumbed-down version of the Rasengan, huh." I was a little disappointed. I genuinely thought it was something original.

"That is already quite an achievement for a six-year-old," Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "You should keep working on it. Perhaps it could blossom into a Jutsu of its own with enough ingenuity and creativity. Then you can teach it to me."

"Where do I even start?" I asked, knowing he was completely serious.

"There are many books in my library about chakra and elemental manipulation. Those will help you. You can ask Anko for help as well, though she is hardly an expert. When I come back, I expect to see improvement."

"You're leaving again?" I asked. "Is it a mission?"

Orochimaru, as a Sannin, spent a considerable amount of time out of the village. Sometimes it was a mission. Sometimes it was not. He was usually back within a month though, and Anko would be in charge during his absence.

"Another research trip. This one will be longer than normal. I will be gone for several months. Maybe even a year."

"I see. I will keep Anko-senpai out of trouble," I said.

He nodded and smiled wryly. "See that you do."

* * *

It'd been about two months since Orochimaru left.

The Sannin was more than just one of Konoha's strongest Shinobi. He was also her premier scientist. That meant he had _a lot of books._

Finding the ones I needed wasn't easy - it took two days just to compile the titles, and another month to finish reading them.

Unlike Anko, who refused to step into the library, the books proved to be useful like Orochimaru had said. Detailed explanations and theories of chakra went a long way in helping me to work on the technique. It took another month of continuous practice before I finally managed to achieve the first of many steps I had in mind for my Petal Star Jutsu.

It wasn't the coolest name, but it was accurate and that was all that mattered to me. I smiled to myself as I watched the petal fly around in the air. Learning to control it remotely was probably the hardest thing I'd learnt so far in my life. It made me really appreciate the sheer amount of effort that went into creating a Jutsu.

My hands were still locked in the _Rat_ hand-seal. The sheer amount of chakra manipulation needed for remote control was ridiculous, and I had needed to create a chain of hand-seals that helped to automate most of the process, though I had managed to shorten it to one. I was still stuck there though - the books on performing seal-less Jutsu all agreed that the last one was the hardest to eliminate. I bit back the urge to sigh. I was still a long way from my goal. For one thing, I needed to be able to do this with no hand-seals at all. Orochimaru was right, there were many ways for any opponent to react to the Petal Star Jutsu. So the key was to use it stealthily, where they didn't have time to counter it. Constantly holding a hand-seal was a giveaway; worse still, it incapacitated my hands, limiting my ability to fight on multiple fronts.

But once I mastered it, I was fairly certain I would be unstoppable. Petals were common and cheap; the only things limiting how many I controlled concurrently were my chakra reserves and my control. And with enough training, I could probably cast other Jutsus while performing the Petal Star in the background, allowing me to rain down an unending cascade of attacks.

It would be a beautiful way to end a fight. Looking at the lone petal floating above my palm however, it was still nothing more than a distant dream for now.

"Kagura-kouhai!"

I jumped in my seat from the Anko's abrupt shout. Quickly deactivating the Petal Star Jutsu, I pretended to be focused on one of the books on the table. The Petal Star Jutsu, when completed, would be my trump card against Anko. Letting her discover it now would only rob me of the element of surprise in whichever fight I decided to make as its debut.

Anko's messy hair popped out from behind the doorframe of the library. She wrinkled her nose and pretended to retch. "Ew this place smells so old and musty. I can't believe you've come here everyday for two months and survived."

"Sensei's books are interesting to read," I said calmly, acting as though reading was the only thing I ever did in the room.

"Boooooring," Anko yawned boorishly. "Anyway, get up and get dressed. The Hokage wants to speak to you."

My ears perked up when she said that. What did that old man want with me?

Mentally, I reminded myself that Namikaze Minato, not Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the Hokage now. "What for?" I asked.

"It's a secret," she said with a sly smile.

"It can't be a secret if _you_ know it," I frowned. "And you might as well tell me now anyway, because I'm going to find out when I go, right?"

"Maybe," she said with another grin. "We never know!"

"Fine," I said, "let's go." I snapped the book shut and stood up. "Let's go find Minato-san."

"Hey," Anko said, slightly cross. "You have to call him Hokage-sama now! Or Yondaime-sama!"

* * *

"Minato-san," I greeted. Anko elbowed me in the ribs hard.

The blond Hokage blinked. Then he smiled brightly, "Kagura-kun." I smirked at Anko, and she scowled back. "Thank you for coming. Kushina says she's sorry that she couldn't be here. She's been busy with some sealing preparation, that's why she hasn't been checking up with you lately."

News that Orochimaru was out of village for an indefinite amount of time spread fast. Kushina had pounced on the opportunity like a tiger, taking me out for meals and shopping and all kinds of menial tasks whenever she could.

 _"It's the Hokage's orders,_ she had said the first time I refused.

Of course, I didn't believe her then. Which led to her physically dragging me (she was still a Jounin, despite her childish personality) to her husband's office.

 _"I don't remember asking you to do that,"_ Minato had said, equally confused as I had been, once Kushina had explained the situation.

It only took one growl from her, and the Commander-in-chief of Konoha suddenly looked as though he had miraculously remembered something important. _"Ah! I remember now. I do remember asking Kushina to do all those things she said earlier with you."_

In the end, all he could do was offer me a sympathetic smile as Kushina led me out of his office with a triumphant grin.

 _"To Ichiraku's!"_ she had hollered.

 _Traitor_ , I had mouthed to Minato.

So hearing that gave me no small sense of relief. "No wonder it has been so peaceful lately," I said.

Minato seemed slightly apologetic, before gesturing for the two of us to sit down. "Kagura-kun, has Anko told you why I called you here?"

I shook my head, trying to ignore Anko, who was staring at me jovially with an 'I-know-something-you-don't' face. Which usually implied that it was bad news.

"Hmmm. Should I get straight to the point then?"

I nodded. I had little time to waste. I wanted to return and continue working on the Petal Star Jutsu.

"I want you to enroll in the Academy while Orochimaru is out of town."

"I decline the offer," I said immediately.

"It's not a request. You could think more of it as an order," Minato said, his smile suddenly not so kind anymore.

I frowned. This was unexpected. And also undesirable. "I have already gone through the Academy once before."

"In Kiri. Where you didn't graduate. So it doesn't count."

I already knew he was going to say something along those lines, so I had another excuse primed and ready. "I thought we didn't want to publicize my existence? Sending me to the Academy would be doing just that."

"If that were the case," Minato said, "I would not have asked you to come to my wedding."

"Then..."

"We're only making sure that you do not leave behind a paper trail, Kagura. Because that's what spies are usually after. You'll be unofficially enrolled. That way, even if the Academy records are compromised, your presence won't be revealed."

"I have a twin brother," I argued. "Any Kiri spy will think it is suspicious if they see someone here that looks exactly like him."

"Any Kiri spy would have had to infiltrate the village years ago. They will not know the face of a freshly-graduated Genin. Besides, Kiri already thinks you're dead. They will not be on the lookout for you."

I was running out of reasons. "Why are you so insistent on making me go?" I asked through grit teeth.

Minato tilted his head, "Why are you so insistent on _not going_?" He asked back.

"It is a waste of time," I said. "The Academy is the first of many trials where the weak are weeded out. I already know everything I need to,so going there is a waste of my talent and efforts. I have other projects I need to work on."

Minato drew a long and deep breath.

"Kagura. How long do you think your secret will last?"

I assumed he was talking about the Kiri one, and not the the Jinchuuriki one. "It depends on how loudmouthed Konoha Shinobi are, right?"

Minato was not amused, and his lips sunk into a grim frown. "Do you know how many people in Konoha are aware of your background and existence?"

"No," I said. I had wondered about it before, but nobody had enlightened me and I never got around to asking.

"More than a hundred. Every Jounin. Every major clan head. A few civilians on the council. Anko. Rin. These people all know about you, and you think they will all be able to keep your secret forever?"

Realistically speaking, the answer was obviously no. "There are already rumors flying that Orochimaru abducted a child from somewhere to become his next apprentice. Not entirely true, but not completely false either. The truth will be revealed sooner or later," Minato said when I remained quiet.

"What does that have to do with the Academy?" I asked, annoyed.

"When Kiri _does_ find out, do you think they'll just sit by and do nothing?" he asked.

"No." I was a Jinchuuriki. Of course they would try to take me back.

"Exactly. The will offer some kind of threat, or maybe even an incentive, for us to return you to their jurisdiction. And you know what's going to happen once you return right?"

I nodded. Death was almost certain. Kiri did not want me back. They only wanted the Sanbi. In their eyes, I would be a traitor, and the only one who would look forward to my homecoming was the executioner. I looked at Anko, who had remained respectfully silent this whole time. She did not know about the Sanbi, and thus looked confused as to why my return to Kiri was such an undesirable thing for me.

"Look at your current lifestyle, Kagura. You're isolated. You're hidden. You're existence is inconsequential for most of the town, at least from their point of view. Most of them will be happy to give you up under Kiri's pressure. Do you want that to happen?"

I thought about it for a very long time. Under that scenario, I had three options. Remain in Konoha. Die in Kiri. Or escape and become a Missing-nin. There was only one logical choice. "No," I said. "I'm quite comfortable here in Konoha."

Minato looked very happy when I said that. "Exactly. So like it or not, you need to start building more ties with the village. You have to mean something to the people. You don't have to make a dazzling display, but you need at least a few people who can vouch and stand up for you. And it all starts at the Academy. Of course, there'll be no official records of your existence, but papers and documents are not important for you to make friends."

"Friends," I repeated.

Minato nodded. "That's right. You're there to make friends. You need to learn how to interact and talk to people. You know, teamwork, camaraderie, and that sort of thing. That's really not something Orochimaru can teach you. But try not to just focus on that and keep an open mind, yea? If you're lucky maybe you can learn something there that can help in whatever side projects you are doing as well."

"Unlikely," I muttered, given what I was trying to do was creating a Jounin-level Jutsu.

"You never know until you try," Minato chuckled weakly. "So, Kagura. Are you up for the task?"

Looking between Minato, who was looking at me expectantly, and Anko, who was nodding her head gleefully, I sighed. "I don't really have a choice, right?"

"Nope," Minato's response was quick, "but it does help for you to think that this is something you actually want."

"Yea Kagura! The Academy will be fun, especially for you! You can bully those kids and show them what it means to be a Sannin's apprentice!"

Minato's eyelids twitched. "That... is not advisable, Kagura. Do try to keep a low profile. We don't want too much attention to be drawn onto you."

"Fine, I'll go to the stupid Academy," I relented. "What class will I be joining?"

"Oh," Minato said, slightly surprised. He probably didn't expect me to give in so quickly. "I haven't really planned it out that far. But I was going to ask you to join the other six-year-olds in the first year."

I glared at him, and he made a small wince.

"But I suppose that will be too unbearable, even for you," he said. "I guess I have to compromise as well. I'll try to find a spot for you in the upper classes. I think you'll be able to relate with them better."

"Wait," I said. "Uchiha Itachi. She is in the Academy, right?"

Minato blinked. "Why yes," he said after thinking for a while. "I believe she is. Though I had her moved up another grade again."

Uchiha Itachi was someone like me. If it was her, I might not mind so much. It would be like having to go through Kiri's Academy with Yagura all over again. Not something I wanted, but something I could at least tolerate.

"Her," I said. "Put me in the same class as her."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, I'm looking for a Beta-reader. Anyone interested? Give me a PM.**

 **RR, FavFollow!**

 **-Paulzies~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

I was the earliest in the classroom. The Sun wasn't even up yet, and lessons weren't due to start for another hour.

Anko had wanted to walk me here, saying it was something she should do since it was my ' _first day of school_ '. That had been part of the reason why I had come so early. She was probably still asleep at this hour. She'd been so exhausted from her own training yesterday she didn't even notice me slipping out.

The other reason why was because I'd never gone to the Academy before. It was unfamiliar territory, and any place you didn't have an escape route out of was, by default, a dangerous place. So by the time the first student walked in, I had contingencies for situations that involved chemical, foreign-nin, and explosive threats.

I was sitting at the very back at the room, in a corner seat that overlooked the rest of the room. My new classmate had obviously only just woken up. He was older than me - the normal age of Third Years was ten. His brown hair was messy and unkempt. His eyes were barely open. Upon sitting down in the first row, he immediately yawned loudly before curling his head and arms onto the table and promptly fell asleep.

I was beyond words. He hadn't even noticed me, a complete stranger, sitting in his classroom with no explanation. And this child wanted to be a ninja? Briefly, I considered punishing him for his negligence and lack of awareness. It was a common practice in Kiri, and they called it pranks. Sticking thumbtacks onto people's chairs. Setting tripwires that activated teargas canisters. Hiding flashbangs in the drawers underneath our tables. Our instructors then generally turned the other way as long as the victims involved didn't have to go anywhere beyond the nurse's office. They thought it was a good way to train children to stay vigilant. Naturally, Yagura and I never fell for one, even though we were targeted quite a lot.

The boy began to snore. I reconsidered. I was certain what fell under as 'pranks' in Kiri would probably be frowned upon here in Konoha. It would be unwise to create such an unfavorable first impression. So instead, I kept quiet and remained in my seat, practicing the Petal Star Jutsu while waiting.

The shuffling sound of footsteps made me disable the Jutsu. I waited patiently in my seat for my next classmate to arrive. Unlike the first, he actually seemed prepared for class. He was chubby, but at least he seemed awake and alert. He swept the room with his eyes. I prepared my rehearsed introduction in my mind.

And then he shrugged and took his seat next to the first boy.

I frowned. He hadn't seen me either. He tapped the sleeping boy on the shoulder, waking him up. Then they began to discuss about the latest manga comics.

The classroom was designed like a lecture theater, meaning the back row was the most elevated. That meant that while I could easily see them, they would actually have to tilt their heads up slightly to see me, especially since I was short. In theory, if I sunk into my seat, I could easily avoid detection for the rest of the day. In fact, I could probably get away with it for the whole year, assuming nobody ever sat up top. But doing so wouldn't help anybody. I was stuck in this Academy for the rest of the year - Anko and Minato made sure of it - so I might as well make do with what I had.

Still though, I was curious to see how long I could sit up here without anybody noticing. I became disappointed with every new person that entered. This was the village that won the Third Shinobi War, I reminded myself. And their Shinobi-hopefuls didn't even bother to look up.

It wasn't long before the first half of the classroom was filled. Mindless chatter filled the room. By the time the people coming in did notice me, it was already too late. Too many people were already in their seats, pretending everything was completely normal. So they ended up assuming my presence was normal as well.

I could already tell this was going to be a bad day. Not wanting to interact with imbeciles and children was half the reason I had been in such a rush to graduate in Kiri. The other half being my desire to take part in the War itself.

And then, amid the cacophony of excited children's voices, a lone sentence caught my attention.

"So Itachi-sama, I'll see you at lunch?" The speaker was a young girl standing at the edge of our classroom, not daring to come in. She looked to be my age, and for a tiny moment, I thought she was Itachi. She had the same black hair, even tied into the same ponytail as the Uchiha Heiress. The distinctive mole beneath her right eye immediately identified herself as someone different, however. That, and the fact that she had said Itachi's name, and Itachi wasn't the type of person to refer to herself in third-person.

Whoever the Uchiha girl (the distinctive fan was printed on the back of her blouse) was talking to must have said yes (or nodded silently, since Itachi was probably involved), because the next moment she seemed very happy and skipped away.

And then Itachi appeared into view.

Calm and composed, she made her way into the room. Conversations were interrupted as heads turned to follow her every moment. There were looks of awe and admiration, and there were sneers of jealousy and hatred. Yagura and I had received the sane treatment back in Kiri.

Then Itachi stopped. She was on the stairs, looking up. Straight at me. Her eyes widened by a fraction of a millimeter, but I saw it nonetheless. Uchiha Itachi was surprised.

"Kagura-kun," she said neutrally, her face stone-cold again. "What are you doing here?"

There were confused looks as people who did not notice me earlier finally registered my presence, and the people who _did_ notice and ignored me realized that I was not actually supposed to be here.

"Who are you?!" the sleeping boy stood up straight, jabbing a finger in my direction. "I've been here the whole morning and I didn't even see you!"

"I've been sitting behind you ever since you came in," I said, slightly amused at his subsequently stunned reaction. Then I turned towards Itachi. "And I am here to learn to be a ninja."

Itachi's lips dipped downwards. She was understandably suspicious.

"Wait a minute, you're new!" the same boy said. "This class is for third years! Newbies go to the first floor!"

I wanted to teach him a lesson. It was frankly revolting, the way the boy seemed to assume he was better than me when he was the definition of incompetent. I had dozens of opportunities to kill him earlier, and I was sorely regretting not capitalizing on one of them.

I stood up and feigned surprise. "Oh! This is the third year? I think there must have been some mistake," I tried to pretend to be embarrassed as I walked down the stairs.

"Yea, that's right," the boy said smugly. "The beginners belong in the first floor."

"Saisu-san," Itachi said hesitantly. "I don't-"

But it was already too late for Itachi to warn him. I pretended to trip down the stairs, and she cut her words short to try to catch me.

"Pshh! He can't even use the stairs properly, and he wants to be a ninja?" Saisu mocked, and the rest of the class exploded into laughter.

I paid his words no mind. _We'll see who's laughing in just another moment_. Still mid-air, I took advantage of the chaos to flash through several hand-seals while molding my chakra independently to compensate for the dozen or so hand-seals I'd managed to drop for the Jutsu.

A feeling of weightlessness overcame me. My body suddenly felt as though it was brimming with energy, and I forced that energy in the direction of Saisu.

The world blurred as I raced through the crowd of people. I had to turn my body slightly to avoid colliding into people, including Saisu himself, and I stopped directly behind him. It only took a few heartbeats for me to get my bearings, and they had only just registered my sudden disappearance.

"Did he just... disappear?" someone asked.

The Shunshin was something I had learnt more out of convenience than for any combat purpose. Due to the many hand-seals and the short period of disorientation upon arrival, it was not exactly ideal for combat, unless you were running away. That being said, ever since my training with Orochimaru began, and dodging became my most important skill, I took the time to master it and was still in the midst of learning to do it without any hand-seals at all. Currently, I was still capped at three seals.

I placed a hand on Saisu's shoulder, and he jumped on the spot.

"When did you get behind me?" he shouted in panic after turning around.

"I've been behind you since the beginning, remember?" I smiled innocently. "Now come, Saisu-san. I will show you to the first floor. That is where beginners like yourself go to, right?"

It took a second for him to realize I was insulting him. By then, the whole class had grown quiet at my little display, and was now waiting for his reaction. His face contorted with rage and became red as hot-tempered blood raced into his face. His childish pride was stopping him from realizing I was not the beginner he thought I was, and that was a mistake he was going to pay for dearly.

His body telegraphed a punch. His right leg took a step back, and his arm began to wind up. Mentally, I shook my head. That was a punch that packed power, not speed. And if there was one thing Saisu should have learnt from the demonstration earlier, it was that I was _much faster_ than him.

By the time he finished transferring his body weight into his fist and hurled it towards me, I was more than ready for it. I wasn't going to try to catch it or block it. Months of fighting Anko and Orochimaru had taught me such a course of action was inadvisable unless I was certain my opponent was weaker than me. That was not the case here. Saisu was four years older than me, and he was big even among the ten-year-olds. So instead I tilted my body to the left to avoid it. It would prevent me from taking control of the tempo in the fight, but at the very least, I wouldn't get hit.

"I think that's enough, children."

A new voice, one too low to belong to a child, emerged. Saisu's eyes widened in fright, and he immediately straightened to attention. The other students very quickly did the same.

"Good morning, Daikoku Sensei!" they chorused together.

 _Sensei_?

I turned around. There was man standing at the table. I hadn't even realized when he'd entered. If the bandana-styled forehead protector and Konoha vest wasn't enough proof for me, his stealthy act was more than sufficient to convince me he was a real Shinobi.

He was still slightly chubby, though I supposed a job like a classroom teacher might cause some ninjas to grow out of shape. At least his goatee was well-trimmed, indicating that he had not degraded into an undisciplined and lazy slob.

He was looking straight at me. "Sensei," I nodded a greeting towards him when I realized he was waiting.

That seemed to satisfy him. "I'm the Chunin Sensei of this class, Daikoku Funeno," he told me. "I have been informed of your... unique addition to this class. Please take any empty seat, and we will begin lessons immediately."

"Wait, Sensei!" Saisu protested, "we have no idea who the heck this guy is!"

"Really?" Daikoku said in surprise. "But you seemed so _chummy_ with him when I walked in." That's when I realized he was faking it.

Saisu gulped.

"Sit down, everybody. Saisu, try not to lose to any more six-year-olds, okay?"

Embarrassed, Saisu huffed to his seat, and the rest of the class shuffled back to their original places as well. I saw Itachi stalk her way to my initial seat.

"You stay," Daikoku said to me, "Saisu is correct. Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Despite the smile and his warm tone, Daikoku was still my superior officer. Which meant that my preferred answer of 'no, I would _not_ like to introduce myself' wasn't a very wise choice. And also, it wouldn't be a very friendly thing to do, and making friends was my primary objective here, wasn't it?

I walked to the center of the class and coughed into my hand to get their attention.

"Good morning everyone. You may call me Kagura."

Silence.

Some of the students began to blink, and they looked at each other in confusion.

"Wait, that's it?" someone in the middle shouted when he realized I had nothing else to add.

I nodded, and looked back to Daikoku for permission to return.

"Uhm... that's a little sparse, isn't it? The only thing we learnt about you is your name."

"Is that not enough?" I asked. "Information and knowledge can be weaponized as much as chakra and metal."

Daikoku frowned, and the rest of the class looked at me like I was crazy. Except Itachi, who I saw slap her palm to her forehead.

"You're not wrong, but how about you tell us some interesting things about yourself? Hobbies, favorite food, you know, stuff like that?"

 _Sure_ , I thought. There were lots of interesting things about me. _I'm the Jinchuuriki for the Sanbi. I was sent here by Kiri to kill you all. My teacher is Orochimaru._ It didn't help that almost everything about me was confidential. As a Chunin, I suspected that Daikoku didn't know anything beyond the Orochimaru bit.

"I like eating meat," I finally said. I looked to Daikoku, who seemed to sigh in defeat.

"There you have it, class. Kagura likes eating meat. Please give him a warm welcome."

The applause was fairly weak. "What kind of introduction was that?" Saisu muttered to the boy next to him as I walked up, " _everybody_ likes eating meat."

He wasn't wrong, but I glared at him anyway and he quickly shut up when he saw.

"Anyway," Daikoku continued to speak after I sidestepped into the seat next to Itachi, "Kagura-kun's a bit like Itachi-chan. You won't be seeing him around next year, either."

The moment he said that, we both turned to look at each other. Itachi quickly turned away, but I could see the gears in her head whirring at that piece of information.

"You mean he's super strong and super smart?" someone asked.

"Yes, I suppose so."

I could feel the class staring at me again. One person in particular stared harder than the rest.

I waved jovially to Saisu, who immediately gulped and turned back to the front, his face paling with every second. _Good_ , I thought, _now you know who's better._

* * *

I couldn't tell if Itachi was paying attention to class or not. She seemed to nod her head whenever Daikoku said something important, but when I took a look at the textbook she was flipping, it contained all sorts of information about the physics involved in Shurikenjutsu.

We were in the middle of a history class.

"That technique you were using earlier," she said softly to me once she realized that I was not paying attention either, "that was the Shunshin, right?"

I nodded. _Let's see how the silent-response treatment works on you_ , I thought.

"I thought so," she said to herself. "You're special too, aren't you?"

Another nod.

She suddenly frowned, catching on to what I was doing. I broke out into a grin. "It's not funny," she looked slightly annoyed. "Sometimes I think too much. That's why I don't say anything."

"Maybe I'm thinking too much as well," I returned. "You're not the only special one."

She rolled her eyes. "Who taught you the Shunshin?" she asked.

"My teacher."

"Who is your teacher?"

"Some Jounin." It wasn't a lie. Technically speaking, Orochimaru _was_ a Jounin.

Her eyes narrowed. "You are being difficult on purpose."

"You're asking all the difficult questions," I responded. I would be disobeying the direct orders of the Hokage if I gave Itachi the answers she wanted. That, and winding her up was fun. It was like stealing food from Yagura.

She blinked. Then there was a momentary intake of breath as she understood what I was implying. "I see. I will stop prying. You have your reasons, I suppose."

"I do," I replied.

There was silence as she seemed to become absorbed in her book again.

"The Shunshin," she said again after a while. "Can you teach it to me?"

I considered it for a moment. Teaching Jutsus to random Academy Students was not very smart, and highly illegal as well. Then I realized that Anko and Orochimaru were basically doing that exact thing to me. I was, technically speaking, still a civilian after all.

"It is difficult," I warned her. "And uncomfortable. When I first learned it, I ran into several walls and could not stop vomiting for a whole week."

She let out a small giggle. "When I first performed the Fireball Jutsu the first time, I burnt my throat. I know the risks of learning Jutsu, Kagura-kun. I will be careful."

"Alright. Pick a date, and I will show it to you then. But you have to be prepared, too," I said, giving her a knowing smile.

"Prepared for what?" she asked, clearly not understanding what I was trying to get at.

"You have to have a Jutsu I can learn too."

She blinked. Then she nodded her head. "I think I have something that you will like."

* * *

There was a five minute gap between every lesson period. That short buffer allowed students to take a short break, in case they needed to use the bathroom or something.

I stood up, wanting to do just that.

And was accosted by a throng of students before I even made it down the stairs.

"Kagura-san," a boy grabbing my arm called out to me, "teach me that disappearing technique of yours!"

"Kagura-san," a girl batted her eyes at me, "would you like to have lunch later?"

"Kagura-san! Be my friend!" Now, wasn't that just a bit too direct?

It was all 'Kagura-san _this_ ' and 'Kagura-san _that_ ', and suddenly everybody seemed to want to get close to me. Did they not understand that I was leagues above them? That I could defeat and even kill every single one of them if I wanted? Why were they being so friendly when I was their enemy?

I blinked. _This isn't Kiri anymore_ , I had to remind myself. In Kiri, every person stronger than you was your potential murderer when Graduation came. They were your enemies. But this was Konoha, where the strong not only offered protection, but could even act as sources of knowledge.

There was a small smirk on Itachi's face. Now I knew why she had chosen to sit all the way at back, away from the parasites that seemed to want to attach themselves to me.

I wanted to snap in irritation at them. All I had wanted was to use the bathroom without being swarmed. I couldn't even Shunshin my way out because one, there were too many people blocking my path, and two, it would probably only encourage them.

I only saw one way out. Pooling chakra at my feet, I jumped high and did a flip in the air, straightening my legs such that they would end up kicking the ceiling.

They did, but instead of rebounding back to the ground they remained stuck there, and I was running from the ceiling and towards the washroom outside as fast as I could.

"Did you see that?" somebody shouted.

"Kagura can walk on the ceiling!"

"How does he do that?"

I was amazed at the ignorance of the Academy Students. Not knowing how to do it was one thing, but being oblivious to the basic applications of chakra was something unforgiveable.

How the heck did they even win the War?

* * *

"Kagura!" Anko shouted angrily once I reached the lab, "I can't believe you just left without me!"

"you were still asleep," I explained calmly.

"You left at _three in the morning_!"

"A Shinobi should always be prepared to act, regardless of the time and place," I said sagely to her.

"Don't give me that crap! You just didn't want me to go with you!"

I shrugged.

She gasped in horror. "It's true, isn't it? You're embarrassed of me!"

I didn't dignify that with a response, and she finally put down the childish facade.

"So?" Her face turned curious. "How was it?"

"The people there are stupid," I said. Then, thinking about Itachi, "well most of them, anyway. They didn't even know that chakra can be used to walk on walls!"

"Well duh," Anko said as if what I had said made perfect sense. "They're Academy Students. They're not supposed to know that much."

"Then how are they ever going to be prepared to be Shinobi?"

"Their Jounin Sensei will teach them," she shrugged. "Or if they fail the second exam, their Chunnin team leader will help them."

I blinked. "what Jounin Sensei? Second Exam?" I'd never heard of such terms before.

Anko stared at me for a while. Then she broke into a big grin. "Finally! Something I know that Kagura-kouhai doesn't!"

"Can you just explain, please?" I asked, exasperated.

"Mmmm, what exactly happens to Genin in Kiri after they graduate?"

"In times of war, they go straight to the front," I said, remembering what the Kiri instructors had told us. "But in peacetime... nothing, I guess? You just start taking missions to make a living. You can either do them solo or as a team, but it's completely up to you so long as the job gets done."

"Wait, what?" Anko seemed really surprised. "Then how do you learn new stuff?"

"Your clan, of course." Wasn't it the same in Konoha? They had the most clan abilities and bloodlines, and it was no secret that clan students in the Academy had a headstart. "Unless you get lucky and someone offers to mentor you. That's usually the case for the Seven Swordsmen."

"And if you don't have a clan or a mentor?"

"Uh," I thought about it for a few seconds, trying to remember what I could of the Shinobi sytem in Kiri. "There's the library - you can find reference books and jutsu lists there. Or if you have friends. But you're basically on your own."

"Wow," Anko gaped. "Just wow. I knew none of the other villages focused on teamwork as much as Konoha, but Kiri... Kiri's a whole new level."

I frowned. They all seemed to think that. "Can you just explain how it works here in Konoha now?"

"Well after you graduate, they split you up into teams - three per team - and they're called Genin Teams." I heard that phrase tossed around a lot, now I finally knew what it meant. "Once you pass your graduation exam, your team is assigned a Jounin, who acts as a teacher and team leader."

Wait what? Were there even enough Jounin in the village to train that many Genin? "Isn't that a huge waste of Jounin manpower?"

"Yea," Anko agreed, "it is. So the Jounins have the right to refuse any team they think is unworthy in a secret second exam. By the way, Academy Students aren't supposed to know this, so don't go blabbing about this to your classmates, okay? I'm only telling you because none of this applies to you anyway."

I nodded. It made sense for the Academy Students not to know this.

"So," Anko continued, "if the team passes. They stick with the Jounin, who trains them while leading them on missions. Then once the Jounin thinks that they're ready, the team is disbanded. This usually happens only after one or more of the Genins become Chunin."

"If they fail?"

"If they fail, they have three options. Go back to a special class for retainers in the Academy for another year, hoping you can pass the the next time. Or, they can join the reserve forces, who fall under the leadership of mostly Chunins, and they do the chore-like missions like patrols, guard duty, and even the administrative positions. The Jounins posted there usually try to help in their training as well, but the ratio's just too big for everyone to benefit. Few people in the reserve forces end up being anything more than a Tokubetsu Jounin. Most of them are stuck at Chunin."

"Wow," I leaned back. "Sounds like passing this second test really determines your path as a Shinobi. It really sounds your career is capped if you fail."

"It does," Anko seemed sympathetic, "for some, failing isn't an option. The second exam's just like the first official one. If you fail it three times, you don't get a fourth try."

Which led to the unsaid third option, of course. Washing out and quitting to be a Shinobi all together. Anko seemed to tell I had deduced this, and asked quietly. "Do you know the proportion of each cohort that ends up becoming Genin?"

I shook my head. No, I did not.

"Less than half."

I could feel my jaw unhinging itself. "Wow," I said in disbelief. "In Kiri we kill off half of every cohort, and we still have a higher graduation rate than Konoha."

Anko tried to hide her smile at my dark attempt at humor. She failed, and burst into laughter.

"Being a Shinobi is more than just difficult, you know?" she said between sniggers, "it's also very competitive. Some people just can't handle the stress and pressure."

"Huh," I said thoughtfully. "Itachi said that to me once."

"You should listen to her," Anko said. "She's a very smart girl, or so I hear."

"Yes, she is." I agreed. "That's why I like her."

* * *

After telling Anko that _no, I did not have a girlfriend_ , at least a dozen times, someone knocked on the door to the lab.

Anko and I looked at each other momentarily. Orochimaru wasn't supposed to return anytime soon, and he would never actually knock.

Few people knew where Orochimaru's lab was. Even fewer came here willingly.

So it was with some sense of alertness and caution that we opened the door.

"Kagura-chan!"

And lo and behold, it was none other than Uzumake Kushina

I groaned.

Anko cursed.

 _All good things must come to an end_ , I thought as pair of slender fingers reached out to pinch my cheeks.

"Kushina-neeshan, wercome bark," I tried to say.

"I missed you so much Kagura-chan, yea!" To my relief, she let go of my cheeks. Then she tackled me in a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Anko demanded. "Can't you read the sign on the door? It says authorized personnel only!"

"As a Jounin of Konoha," Kushina smirked, "I am authorized _everywhere_. Keep that in mind, _silly little_ _chunin._ "

"That can't be true!" Anko crossed her arms and huffed. "I'm going to check the rules right now!"

"Why check the rules?" Kushina's smile got even wider, "when we can go and ask the Hokage himself directly, yea?"

Checkmate, Anko realized.

"Bleh!" Anko stuck a tongue out at her. "Just take Kagura and go to wherever you've planned to kidnap him already!"

Kushina sighed. "Unfortunately, Kagura and I don't have plans today. I'm here to see both _you_ and Kagura." Anko blinked in surprise when she realized that for once, Kushina was looking for her as well.

"We don't?" I asked in surprise. That was the only reason she ever came here. Though it was more 'her' plans than 'ours'.

"Nuh uh," she shook her head. "I actually only came because somebody wanted me to introduce you two to him. I actually have to go already. I'm not done with my sealing project. But don't worry, Kagura-chan! I'll be back next week for lunch!" With a puff of smoke, she vanished.

I looked at Anko. Anko looked at me.

"Wait, where's this random dude who wants to meet us?"

"Why, I'm right here," a new voice chuckled, very deep and very familiar. And also very _behind us_.

We immediately reacted, Anko drew her kunai and I leaped backwards to prepare a water Jutsu.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Anko immediately recognized.

I recognized the man from Minato and Kushina's wedding. He wasn't someone you could forget easily, what with his large size, spiky white mane, and the red paint on his cheeks. Now that I was seeing him up close, there was also a wart on his nose, one I had not seen the last time.

"Yo," he waved.

Anko immediately kept her kunai and bowed in apology. "Sorry, we did not mean to raise our weapons at you."

I had to agree. The man was a Sannin, on the same caliber as Orochimaru. If he wanted to kill us, we'd already be dead. Raising our weapons really had no meaning.

"Ah don't worry about it," the man seemed to be in a good mood. Or perhaps he was just a naturally easygoing person. With Orochimaru as a teacher, everybody else always seemed to be in a good mood all the time. "I'd expect no less from the students of Orochimaru."

"Thank you. Your words are too kind," Anko said respectfully. It was always funny to see her personality flip one-eighty every time she was talking to someone she admired. As if doing so could actually hide and compensate for the crass and sadistic person she truly was. "But what brings you into our humble abode, Jiraiya-sama?"

"Bahaha!" Jiraiya broke into laughter. "So well-mannered! No wonder Orochimaru took you in! Your talented tongue must stroke his big ego everyday!" His gaze seemed intently fixed on Anko's chest, where two small lumps were growing. She was, after all, still a girl growing through puberty.

Anko's eye twitched. Was it me, or was there some kind of sexual innuendo buried in there? Because Jiraiya's tone really made it seem like the latter.

"How old are you anyway?" Jiraiya asked.

"Twelve," Anko replied easily. That was hardly fair. I still remember being slapped by her that one time I asked her.

"Oh," Jiraiya seemed suddenly put off, losing some of the enthusiasm he had earlier. "That's too young."

Anko's eye twitched again, except this time she clenched her fist as well.

"Tell you what, pretty girl. I'll come back when you're six years older, and then we can-"

 _Pow_!

I must have blinked at the wrong moment, because I completely missed what just happened. Anko's hand was suddenly extended, and Jiraiya was on the floor.

"Anko," I said hesitantly, "did you just punch the Sannin in the face?"

"No? What are you talking about, Kagura-kouhai?" Anko replied, feigning innocence with ease, "I was merely stretching my arm and he got in my way." Then bending over Jiraiya, she asked, "Jiraiya-sama? Are you alright?"

A single punch from Anko had once landed me unconscious in training. But Jiraiya was immediately on his feet, not a mark on his face. "Don't 'Jiraiya-sama' me!" he comically yelled, "you _clocked_ me!"

"Well you were leering at me, you disgusting pervert!" Anko yelled back. "I didn't believe Sensei when he said you were the trashiest amongst the three Sannin, but I guess he was right!"

"Pfft," the trashiest Sannin snorted and turned his head to the side, "with a temper like that, you'd be better off under Tsunade." Then he realized he was looking directly at me. "Oh, you're the other one, right? The Kiri one."

I nodded. _The Kiri one_. I hadn't been called that for a while, but I supposed it was a connotation I would never actually be able to get rid of.

"You look a bit too young," he walked up to me, rubbing his chin. Anko was glaring at him, but she stopped when she realized that the Sannin was actually becoming slightly serious. "What are you, seven?"

"Six," I corrected, though I would be seven in a few months.

Jiraiya looked surprised. "I never thought he'd pick a brat so young," he said.

"The Sandaime forced him," I shrugged, "he did not have much of a choice."

"Hmmmm... You're Kagura, right?"

I nodded.

"I never would have pegged you for the type to like flowers."

I froze. How did he know? The petal was hidden perfectly out of view, between his neck and his ponytail, and I had moved it there the first opportunity I got. It never paid to be careful, and the Petal Star Jutsu was nothing more than a contingency in case something _did_ go wrong.

Except, I never expected him to discover it. The Sannin name really wasn't just for show. Reluctantly, I stopped the spinning of the chakra, and willed the petal to fold unto itself and return into my sleeve, making sure that it was out of Anko's sight the whole time. It would not do for her to discover the Jutsu so soon. I could do it seal-lessly, but controlling one was still my limit.

"You guys have spunk," Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "So I'm willing to go out on a limb here. Since Orochimaru's not going to be back for a while, if you kiddos need any help, you can come find me. I'll be here for a couple more weeks."

'Peh," Anko spat, "only an idiot would want the help of a pervert like you."

"Hey!" Jiraiya looked offended, "I trained the Yondaime! People would be queuing up for miles if they knew I was taking in students again!"

"Well, I'm going to be staying miles away from you!" she huffed, and stomped away.

I looked at Jiraiya. He sighed, "what about you, Kagura? You going to be a whiny brat, too?"

I shrugged. Who was I to turn down free help? And from a Sannin, no less.

* * *

"Kagura, do you want to have lunch together?"

I looked up from my book in surprise. I usually packed my own lunch and ate it in the classroom. I hadn't expected Itachi to ask me since she normally ate with the other Uchiha girl one year below us.

"What about Izumi?" I asked, remembering her name.

"She will not mind," her eyebrows scrunched up, "I think."

She did.

"Itachi-sama!" the Uchiha girl pointed at me angrily once we reached the school rooftop, "who's this?"

Itachi-sama? I looked at the Heiress of the Uchiha clan. She seemed indifferent to her title. Then again, in Anko's words, she was as close to royalty as one could get in Konoha.

"This is Kagura. A friend. He will be eating with us today."

I waved to her, "nice to meet you."

She stared at me long and hard. "How old are you?"

"Six."

"That's my age!" she gasped, "and Itachi-sama's age too!" Then she looked confused, "wait, what class are you from? I've never seen in you the second or first floor before..."

"He's in my class," Itachi answered for me casually, sitting down and opening her lunch box. Rice, grilled fish, cherry tomatoes. It was very modest and humble. Like Itachi herself, I supposed.

I sat down and opened my lunch box too. I didn't have the time nor the patience to learn how to cook, so it was nothing more than an ordinary sandwich. Then I noticed Izumi was blinking at a rate that was faster than the average human's.

"You're a _Third Year_?!" she exclaimed.

"Well actually I only entered the Academy last week," I said. "But they put me with the third years."

"I tried so hard and they only put me with the second years... and I'm already finding it difficult," she sighed discouragingly and collapsed to the floor. "Not fair! I'll never be as a good as you Itachi-sama."

"There there," Itachi said with practiced ease, "I'm sure if you try your best, things will be better."

"You always say that," she grumbled. "But now this random boy suddenly shows up and jumps two grades, too."

I stopped eating when I realized they were both looking at me.

"So?" Izumi asked, "what's your deal? How come they let you jump two grades so fast?"

"I'm good." I shrugged, "I'm stronger than most Genin. I think."

"Hn," she made a sound in her throat. "But you can't be stronger than Itachi-sama."

I wondered how good Itachi was. I'd never seen her fight for real, and in what Taijutsu practices we'd had so far, she demolished her opponents so fast I could never accurately judge her skill level.

Still... "You know," I waggled my eyebrows at her, "I know a Jutsu that Itachi doesn't. She asked me to teach her."

"Pfft, you're lying," she said haughtily. "There's nothing Itachi-sama doesn't know."

"It's true," Itachi said calmly, shocking Izumi. "He knows the Shunshin. I do not."

"The Shunshin?" Izumi asked, clearly not knowing what it was.

"The one that cousin Shisui always uses."

" _That one_? That's a Chunin-level technique!" she sputtered out, "and Kagura-san knows it?"

Itachi and I both nodded. Izumi let out a defeated sigh. "I can't even do the Fireball Jutsu yet. I keep coughing up smoke instead of fire."

"You need to work on your chakra transformation," guided Itachi. "Maybe you're having such a hard time because your affinity with fire is not very strong."

"Maybe I'm having such a hard time because I'm not a prodigy like you two," she said, mimicking Itachi's voice poorly.

There was nothing Itachi could say to that, and I didn't want to get involved in their conversation as well, so we ate in silence for a long time.

"Hey, Kagura, that sandwich of yours looks nice," Izumi said, glancing at my food. "Can I try some? I'll give you some of yakisoba!"

"No," I said immediately. Her chopsticks were already in the air, pointing towards my food. I smacked them away for good measure.

She blinked, clearly not expecting such a blatant rejection. "What's your problem?" she ask angrily, "don't you know friends are supposed to share their food?"

Friends? That was a rather large leap. Not that I minded, Anko said that the more friends I made, the better it would be for me in the future. _Think of them as investments_ , she said. "Friends also do not kill each other," I explained calmly, "I poison my food."

Even Itachi looked shock. "Are you crazy?" Izumi gasped, "or is this something all geniuses do?" She looked to Itachi for confirmation. Itachi shook her head, her eyes looking at me expectantly for an explanation.

"I may encounter poisons in the future," I said, picking up a bread crumb and putting it on the ground. Sooner or later, one of the flies would come and investigate. "So my teacher believes it is good for me to build up immunity while I can."

"I don't believe you," Izumi crossed her arms. "No one's stupid enough to poison a kid's meal. Only like, ANBU do that, I think. You just don't want to share!"

"You can also think of it as, 'no one is smart enough to build up poison immunity from young'," I pointed out. Then I gestured towards the bread crumb. "We can always wait and see."

As if on cue, a fly landed on it. Within seconds, it began to experience spasms, its wings flapping erratically as it lost control of its limbs. It began roll around on the ground like it was dancing, and very soon it stopped moving completely and died.

"See?" I said. "Poisoned." Then I bit into my sandwich calmly as though nothing had happened.

Izumi's mouth was wide open, and her gaze alternated between the sandwich on my mouth and the dead fly. "Wha..."

Even Itachi shifted a few inches away from me.

"Izumi, do you know what's the difference between a crazy person and a genius?" I asked when it seemed like they would never get over their shock.

"No," she said, waking up from her stupor. "What?"

"The genius succeeds."

* * *

"Yo, Minato!"

Namikaze Minato looked up from his stack of paperwork, wondering how he could have missed the sound of someone opening the door.

He blinked when he realized that there was nobody there.

 _It must be all these forms_ , he reasoned to himself, _all wanting my attention and my autograph so much that they've grown sentient._

The Sandaime had told him the paperwork would drive him crazy, but this really wasn't how he had pictured it.

"Oi, Minato!" He looked up again. Still, the door was closed. This time they even had the audacity to impersonate Jiraiya-sensei's voice. He was going to-

"I'm at the window, you idiot!"

He turned, and saw Jiraiya-sensei standing outside the windowsill, waving to him.

"Why don't you use the door like normal people?" he asked as he slid the glass pane open for the man to enter.

"It's faster this way," the man said, before sinking his body into a sofa. "I visited Anko and Kagura today," he recounted, "I wanted to see for myself that Orochimaru really took two brats under his wing."

"Oh?" Minato raised an eyebrow, eager to hear what was next. "What do you think of them?"

"Anko's got too much Tsunade in her," Jiraiya sighed, rubbing one of his cheeks. "She punched me in the face just because I teased her a little bit."

"I'm certain it's because you took your jokes too far again, Sensei," Minato said.

"Peh," Jiraiya scoffed. "It's because they're Orochimaru's kids. No sense of humor whatsoever. That man's not suited to raising children."

Minato was going to point out that a man who peeped on women as a past-time was hardly to be in a position to judge, but he'd been one of the children Jiraiya raised. Self-praise or not, Minato would like to think that he turned out okay.

"And Kagura?" he asked. Anko was Anko, she would probably be fine. But Kagura was always at the back of his mind, and the boy's very existence seemed to trouble him. It was the job of the Hokage to keep track of the village Jinchuuriki, but Minato found that he knew disturbingly little about the Kiri turncoat.

"Scary," Jiraiya admitted. "I could have gotten a nasty wound from his strange technique whenever he wanted."

"What technique?" Minato was slightly alarmed if Kagura could somehow already pose a threat to a man of Jiraiya's caliber.

"I dunno. I think it's an original technique. All I know was that he smelled strongly of flowers, and when I did a chakra scan, there was some of his pooled right behind by neck. I didn't even get to see it."

"Is it-" Minato had his suspicions, and they worried him greatly.

"No no," Jiraiya shook his head. "It's not the Sanbi. The Sanbi Jinchuuriki gets to use uh... rocks? No wait, that's not right. Maybe it's - Coral! Something to do with coral!"

Minato let out a breath of relief. There had been strict instructions for Kagura not to begin Jinchuuriki training until he was twelve. But frankly speaking, if the boy was capable of creating his own original techniques already, he was more than prepared to start right now. If that was the case, perhaps it was wiser to begin earlier-

No. He reminded himself. Kagura was not just a weapon to be used. He was human first, and Minato would not dump the burden of being a Jinchuuriki on him until the boy was ready or asked for it himself.

"You know, if you're so worried," Jiraiya ventured, seeing that Minato was still deep in thought, "I can keep an eye on him while Orochimaru is gone."

Minato looked up in surprise. "You can?"

"Yep," Jiraiya nodded. "I offered to help them out, you know, since Orochimaru's basically MIA. Anko flat out refused me, but Kagura seemed more receptive to the idea."

That... Minato realized, that would be perfect. Despite his many flaws, Jiraiya-sensei was still far more knowledgeable in human interaction and social norms than Orochimaru. There were things Jiraiya could teach Kagura that Orochimaru could not. And getting better progress reports than Orochimaru's generic 'He is doing well' was just a side-bonus.

"That would be good," Minato agreed. He would make sure Kagura would become part of the village. That he could one day proudly proclaim his past and his secrets, and the village would love him no less for it. If not for the boy's sake, then at the very least for Kushina's.

* * *

 **A/N: Doneee, Fav, follow review!**

 **PS, Still looking for a Beta, PM me if you're interested.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

"And _that_ ," I concluded after my demonstration, "is how you do the Shunshin."

Itachi nodded thoughtfully.

Izumi, however, began to shout. "What!? What kind of lesson it that?! All you did was flash through a couple of hand-seals that we couldn't even _see_ , and then you disappeared from our sight!"

I wasn't actually sure why the other Uchiha was here, considering how I had only agreed to teach Itachi the Shunshin. Apparently, Izumi thought herself as Itachi's keeper.

"Try it first," I said, trying to keep my patience, "and if you have problems _then_ you can let me know."

"How is she even supposed to _try it_?" she asked, "I didn't even catch anything you did!" _And whose fault is that, I wonder?_ "Isn't that right, Itachi-sama?"

There was no response from Itachi, who had her eyes closed.

"Itachi-sama?" Izumi asked again.

Then Itachi's hands raced through the hand-seals necessary for the Shunshin.

"Wha-" Izumi didn't even have time to finish speaking before Itachi blurred, then vanished.

Wow. She actually did it.

"Where'd she go?" Izumi glared at me, as though Itachi's disappearance was all my fault.

Her reply came in a second later, when there was a grunt of pain and a crashing sound that came from afar.

"There she is," I pointed to a distance, where Itachi was now tumbling across the grass field. I winced. The first landing had been painful for me as well. Anko still hadn't fixed the wall I'd crashed into.

"ITACHI-SAMA!" Izumi shrieked in horror, before running after her.

I was rather surprised that Itachi had managed, arguably, to do it the first time she tried. It was a small comfort for me that she had needed to use the whole chain of hand-seals, while I now only needed two to perform the Shunshin, which was exactly what I did next. I was by Itachi's side moments later.

"Itachi-sama!" Izumi jogged up towards us. "Are you alright?"

"Just a few scrapes and bruises," she coughed, patting the dirt off her clothes as she got up. Then her body swayed and she made a strange face.

 _Uh oh_.

I immediately took a few steps back while Izumi, obviously a rookie at treating nausea and disorientation, immediately went in closer. So when Itachi vomited, it ended up all over her.

"Sorry," Itachi said, her voice still trembling. "I'll pay for the clothes."

"No no, it's alright!" Izumi quickly recovered from her shock and disgust, ignoring the chunks of food all over her dress. "More importantly, are you feeling better now?" I couldn't resist but raise an eyebrow. That was some dedication on Izumi's part. It was almost disturbing.

Itachi nodded and looked straight at me. "I think I know how to start the Shunshin. Now teach me how to stop."

The key, I told her, was chakra enhancement, which would anchor her legs to the ground when she cancelled the Jutsu. Itachi wasted no time in trying again. This time, she skidded on the ground for a few meters before coming to a halt.

She looked at me expectantly from afar, waiting for my comments. "Put more chakra! You're going to need a lot more before your feet are locked into the ground," I yelled to her. She nodded, raced through the seals, and tried again.

This time the skidding was far shorter, but the sudden stop made her lose her balance, and she had to flail her arms wildly to stop herself from falling over. I saw her purse her lips and decided she would be fine on her own. Now it was only a matter of fine-tuning on her part - she didn't really need me anymore.

"Where are you going?" Izumi asked when I started to walk off.

"The stream," I pointed to the current of water flowing near where we were sitting.

"What do you need a stream for?"

" _I_ don't need a stream, _you_ do," I said, gesturing towards her stained clothes.

"Oh," her face turned red. Had she really been planning to wear that for the rest of the day? The pregnant pause afterwards seemed to suggest she did. "Let's go then."

* * *

"Okay," Izumi said, "you can turn around now."

I didn't get why I needed to face the other way while she changed. Until puberty kicked in, the upper-halves of boys and girls were completely identical. And even then, as a ninja, it was wishful thinking to prioritize modesty over practicality.

Her dress was submerged in the water, a large rock placed on it to prevent it from being swept away by the current. She was standing ankle-deep in the stream, wearing nothing but her shorts and a shirt too small for her.

 _My shirt_ , I reminded myself. Following the previous chain of logic, I didn't understand why she insisted on borrowing mine. The end result was completely the same, except now I was topless instead of her.

"What?" she asked, slightly embarrassed. Her hands moved to cover her belly button and her stomach, which was partly exposed. I sighed. Another reminder that I was small for my age. Why did I have to lose my shirt over _her_ mistake? Why was she even here?

"I was just wondering," I said, "why you seem to attach yourself to Itachi so much, even though she is leagues above you."

Izumi looked like she was about to get angry. Instead, she let out a deep breath, and walked up the bank to sit next to me. I sat down as well, and for a few minutes we watched in silence as Itachi blurred around the field, only stopping to throw up or to evaluate her previous attempt. The technique was something Itachi was adapting to quite well. The disorientation, however, was something that could only be gotten used to through the hard way.

"Doesn't she look lonely?" Izumi asked. "She's like this everyday, you know? She trains by herself. She reads by herself. And before I joined her, she usually ate by herself in school."

"Training with the other children will slow her down. Her literary tastes are probably more advanced as well," I said.

"I know that," Izumi said. "I've spent the past few weeks with her. She's _different_. She's supposed to be the same age as me, but sometimes when I talk to her," she hesitated, "it's like I'm talking with my grandfather. I just don't understand what she's saying."

I shrugged. "That is what it means to be a prodigy. It is a solitary path. Power always comes with a price, and for her, a life without peers is just her down payment." It had been mine too, but at least I had Yagura then.

Izumi looked confused, like she didn't really get what I was saying. "That's something my grandfather would say," she mumbled.

I smiled. "Your grandfather sounds like a very wise person," I said.

"He is," she agreed, "but that's because he's _old_. You're six. The same age as me. And the same age as Itachi. You're like her, aren't you? A prodigy, too."

I nodded. More than a few people had called me that.

"That's good," she said. She sighed unhappily, "you know, when Itachi first introduced you during lunch that day, I was really angry inside. I knew that you would end up replacing me."

I opened my mouth to talk, but she held a hand up. "Let me finish talking first. I know whatever you want to say is going to ruin this moment, Kagura."

I kept my mouth shut. "I had to bother Itachi _for days_ before eating with me was something she was willing to do," she continued. "But she brought you to join us _within a week_ of meeting you. _She_ had to bring _you_ , not the other way around. And I knew, at that very moment, that I had lost Itachi."

"I was her best friend, but only because she had nobody else she could relate to, Cousin Shisui was too old, and she saw him more as an older brother. In truth, I was only a placeholder, until someone she could consider her equal came along. I could never understand her concerns and worries, and so she never shared them with me. Then you came along, and she told you things about herself within hours that took me weeks to needle out of her. I was bitter, jealous of you. But I was also very happy. Because Itachi finally found somebody that understands her. I don't think you understand how much she's changed since you've appeared, Kagura. She talks more now. She smiles more often. She even seems... relaxed some times. I don't know why she thinks she has to carry the weight of the world. But I'm glad she's found another pair of shoulders to rest its burden on."

When Izumi turned to look at me, it was with eyes that were brimming with tears. "I don't know how you feel about Itachi, but she's very important to me. The other kids in the clan used to bully me, because my father was a civilian from outside the clan. They called me dirty, tainted. Itachi stood up for me and they've since stopped. She's such a gentle person, and I've always wanted to return to her the happiness that she gave me. But I couldn't, because I simply didn't understand her. But you can, Kagura. So please," she begged with a ghost of a smile, "be a good friend to her, okay?"

I hadn't expected such an outburst of emotion. I had no idea what to do. But I did know that I wanted to be friends with Uchiha Itachi. So I nodded. Izumi gave me a big fat smile afterwards.

We continued to watch Itachi for a while. She trained relentlessly, even when the Sun was beginning to set. Her chakra reserves were impressive. But her hand-seals were becoming sluggish, her Shunshins slower and shorter. Even geniuses suffered from fatigue.

"Oh yeah," Izumi suddenly said, "what were you going to say earlier?"

I blinked. She had interrupted me earlier, saying something about how I would 'ruin the moment', hadn't she? But I couldn't remember what I had wanted to say then. "I forgot," I told her.

"Then it can't be very important, can it?" she grinned.

"No, I guess not." Then I paused. "You're a lot smarter than you look, Izumi."

"Thank you," she beamed. Then she suddenly dropped the smile and her face darkened by several shades. "Kagura," she scowled, "are you saying that I look stupid?"

"No," I immediately denied, wondering how she could've misconstrued a simple compliment like that.

"Then?" she looked at me expectantly.

Izumi's monologue earlier had revealed a level of self-awareness not seen in many other Academy students. Which meant that while she may not have been the best person to train with, I would still be able to hold a decent conversation with her.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," I said, after thinking about it for a while, "I would like to be your friend as well."

"Oh," she said in surprise, clearly not expecting that. Then she flashed me a big cheesy grin. "Sure!"

Any follow up from that conversation was killed by a 'thud' sound. Itachi had fallen to the ground, lying face-up, and was now heavily panting from exhaustion.

As Izumi ran over to help her up, I realized one thing.

I frowned. She was still wearing my shirt.

* * *

Jiraiya was a completely different teacher from Orochimaru.

When I had asked Orochimaru to teach me the Shunshin, he had tossed me a scroll in response. He expected me to know all the theory and details behind the technique before polishing up on my practical application of it.

And so when Jiraiya told me to literally forget all the theory that I'd learnt, I had been understandably quite surprised, and reluctant to do so.

"Kid," Jiraiya knelt down so he could place a hand on my shoulder. "You _do_ understand that everything you know about chakra isn't real, right?"

"What? What do you mean, 'not real'?" I questioned angrily. Maybe Anko had the right idea, refusing any help Jiraiya offered. There were thousands of books on chakra - centuries worth of research. And Jiraiya had the audacity to say they were wrong?

"I mean exactly what it sounds like. It's called Chakra Theory for a reason. They're all theories. Postulations. Educated guesswork based on our observations in reality."

"But they work," I protested. "Everything I've read so far makes sense. They've worked in whatever Jutsus I've tried before."

"Well yeah, everything you've learnt about Chakra Theory makes sense right now, of course. You know, until it actually _doesn't_ ," Jiraiya said. "They don't work on _your_ Jutsu, right?"

I nodded carefully. Jiraiya might be on to something. Somehow, I'd hit a roadblock with the Petal Star Jutsu, despite the additional reading I've done since then. I was still stuck at one lone petal. Everything about chakra theory made sense until that point... until it suddenly _didn't_.

"Our theory of chakra comes from a long line of trial and error," Jiraiya explained. "In reality, we actually don't know why chakra behaves the way it does, we just accept that it does and make our own guesses as to why. That would explain why existing chakra theories can help you when it comes to learning tried-and-tested techniques. But once you start developing your own Jutsus, things start to break down, because there's no precedent and old rules stop applying so much."

That made sense, I suppose. "So trying to apply the existing theories of chakra would actually end up restricting original techniques, instead of perfecting them," I confirmed with him.

Jiraiya blinked in surprise. "Y-yeah. I didn't think you'd get it so fast, but that's kind of the general gist of it. Really, the key is understanding which rules you can apply, and which rules you should just ignore."

I activated the Petal Star Jutsu, and watched the petal hover above my palm. It piqued Jiraiya's curiosity as well, and he leaned over to take a look at it.

"I was planning on being able to control a whole swarm," I told him. "But I can't get seem to control more than one."

"So _this_ was what was hanging behind my neck," Jiraiya remarked. "And why you smell like flowers."

Huh. So _that_ was how Jiraiya found out that day. I hadn't taken the smell into account. That could be rather dangerous when I was trying to hide my presence.

"Hmmm," Jiraiya said thoughtfully. "I had a student who made a similar technique to this, except she used paper instead of petals."

"Really? Who was she?" I asked. I only knew that Jiraiya had taught Minato, and no one else.

"She's dead now," Jiraiya said dismissively, "but when I asked her how she controlled so many sheets of paper, she told me she didn't."

"Then how?"

"She said she imagined currents of wind carrying the swathes of paper around. All she did was create and manipulate those wind currents. But when I asked for a demonstration, I didn't detect any wind chakra at all."

"That... doesn't make sense," I said flatly.

Jiraiya gave me a knowing smile. "See? Everything about chakra makes sense until it doesn't. That's the thing about chakra - it's unique to everyone. What I feel and what you feel when we perform a Jutsu will be different, even if it's the same technique. It's all about having it make sense for yourself. In some sense, chakra's just as alive as we are. Its actions can't always be accurately predicted."

"It can't possibly work that way," I said skeptically, "then anyone with no knowledge can formulate any theory of chakra they want and create all kinds of nonsensical techniques."

There was a sharp glint in Jiraiya's eyes. "That's the hardest part. Balance. You can't create a new technique by following old definitions. But at the same time, your new technique can't spit in the face of existing rules. You have to find a sweet spot."

That sounded a lot like trying to discover... "A loophole," I said. "I need to find a loophole to circumvent the existing rules that are hindering my technique."

"I would call it a blindspot," Jiraiya said encouragingly. "But yes, that's what you need to do."

Well... this was certainly an insightful session. Perhaps for the next one I would find Jiraiya in person instead.

Then I vanished into a puff of smoke, transferring whatever I learnt to the original.

* * *

Jiraiya blinked.

When the smoke cleared, there was nobody there - Kagura was gone.

It hadn't been a Shunshin.

Jiraiya blinked again.

 _Kagura is six years old_ , he thought to himself. _A six year old blindsided you by sending his Shadow Clone instead of coming over in person._

He was a Sannin who had kindly offered to teach the kid. And that kid didn't even have the respect to come in person.

 _...That is SUCH an Orochimaru thing to do!_

* * *

 _That was... enlightening_ , I thought as all the clone's memories suddenly rushed into me.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was certainly very useful, and Itachi had been right when she said I would like it. Itachi could make one. I could make two. The Sanbi was only sealed in me a year ago, but such a short amount of time had given me chakra reserves at least double that of Itachi, who already had above-average chakra reserves as an Uchiha.

"Is something the matter, Kagura?" Itachi asked. "You were spacing out." Her voice was a bare whisper - we were still in class, after all.

Assimilating, then organizing, a clone's memories was still something I had to get used to. It was like waking up from a particularly vivid and long dream.

"Nothing," I said. "Just tired from training."

She smiled. "That is good then."

* * *

I was walking back after school when I felt a presence appear suddenly behind me.

I jumped, sending a roundhouse kick to where his face should have been. A sturdy palm caught my foot and, before I could react, he pulled upwards and I was suddenly hanging upside down in the air.

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama," I said politely. "What a surprise to see you again so soon."

The Sannin loomed over me more than normal, considering my head was at the height where my knees normally were. He was glaring at me, and I suddenly understood the warpaint now. It did add to the intimidation.

"Don't think calling me Jiraiya-sama's gonna do you any favors, brat," Jiraiya said. "You sent _a clon_ _e_."

Oh, so _that's_ what this was about. "You asked me to meet you during school hours. Did you expect me to send my clone to school instead?"

"Well, _yes_ ," Jiraiya said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "you're going to learn so much more from me than _that_ boring place!"

"But I have friends there," I said. "It wouldn't feel right for me to send a clone to interact with them instead."

Still grabbing me by the ankle, Jiraiya gave me a thoughtful look. All the blood was starting to go to my head, and it wasn't a very pleasant feeling. "You have friends," Jiraiya repeated. " _You. Friends._ "

"Why is that so hard to believe?" I asked. "Itachi and Izumi are my friends."

"Of course," Jiraiya sighed, putting me back down. "Who else but the Uchihas can become friends with a prodigy?"

"Are the Uchihas bad?" The way Jiraiya had phrased it seemed to make it sound as though they were.

"No," Jiraiya shook his head. "They're nice people, but only if they're willing to let you get close to them. They're picky, selective about their social circles. It's hard to become friends with them."

"Itachi and Izumi are nice people," I said to him.

"That means they like you." Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Besides you and each other, how many people do they interact with regularly in school?"

I thought about it, trying to recall my memories of them during my few weeks at the Academy.

"Zero," I said. I wasn't completely sure for Izumi, but Itachi seemed to distance herself from the rest of the class. Except me, of course.

Jiraiya gave me a smug smile. "Lesson one," he stuck his index finger up. "Jiraiya-sama is always right. Take that lesson close to heart, and you'll learn many great things from me."

I nodded along. He hadn't been wrong so far.

"Good," he said, satisfied. "Have you given any thought on what we discussed this morning?"

I had. It'd been on my mind all day. I thought about the example he gave: the paper-wielding student. For her, picturing wind currents had been an intuitive choice, because she was manipulating paper. While the same could be said with my petals, the idea of wind didn't sit well with the water chakra that was the very foundation of my technique.

"The first step's the hardest," Jiraiya said, and I knew that a man like him had definitely gone through similar mental blocks to the one I was experiencing now. "But once you hit that breakthrough, it'll be like dominoes. Everything else will just fall into place accordingly."

"How do I hit that breakthrough?" I asked.

"Mmm," Jiraiya sat on it for a while. "Determination, brains, talent, and lots and lots of luck."

I frowned. Luck. The success of my Jutsu depended on having an epiphany at the right time and the right place. Not exactly confidence-inspiring.

"I'm not a very lucky person," I said. "That's why I am in Konoha, and not Kiri." After all, it had been the luck of the draw that had pitted me againt Yagura, the sole person victory was not guaranteed against.

"Really?" Jiraiya mused. "I would say that you lucked out on that one. Wouldn't you agree that Konoha's been more fun than Kiri? While your brother was fighting a war, you were here, safe and sound. While your brother's picking up the pieces of a wartorn Kiri, you're here, receiving tutelage from _two_ of the Sannin. I'd say that you are pretty lucky."

"I'm still a Jinchuuriki," I pointed out. "A fail-safe weapon of whatever village I am part of. A constant threat of losing myself to a primordial beast hangs over my head everyday. Knowledge that countless others will hunt me because I contain something they want plagues my every moment."

"Look kiddo," Jiraiya put his hand on my head. "Just because you've tasted the poison doesn't mean you have to drink the rest of the tea. If you're going keep thinking that you have shitty luck, then trust me, you're _going to have_ shitty luck. Just take things as they come and try to find the bright side. You've got more friends here in Konoha now than you ever did in Kiri, right?"

I paused. Jiraiya wasn't wrong. There were many aspects of my life in Konoha I couldn't complain about. In some ways, it was even superior compared to if I had stayed in Kiri. I doubted I could have found an apprenticeship under a S-class Shinobi so fast, as well as access the resources that came along with it. There was meat, which was _way better_ than seafood. The people here also seemed... _nicer_.

I frowned. There were _many_ ways that Konoha was better than Kiri.

"Jiraiya-sama, I think you may be right," I finally said.

"What did I tell you?" Jiraiya laughed. "Lesson one: Jiraiya-sama is _always_ right!"

* * *

I dropped a bread crumb into the water. The water surface rippled as it sunk in, then rippled again at it bobbed back upwards. It would not remain floating there for long.

Already, the fish inside had snapped towards it, their beady eyes eyeing the intrusive material with a hint of caution and curiosity. These were not the original fish I had caught with Kakashi and Rin at the festival nearly a year ago. Those had long since died, but they had laid eggs. These were their children, proof that I had taken care of their parents well, well enough that they were willing to entrust their legacies to me.

And I had taken care of these fish well too, if the string of fish eggs hiding in the fake seaweed was anything to go by.

Slowly, they began to prod at the morsel of food. They kissed it gently with their lips at first. Then they began to snip at it, tearing small strands off with nothing but the suction power of their lips. And when they finally realized that it was safe to eat, they swarmed it, becoming a writhing mass of bodies vying for a piece of bread.

There used to be a shark tank in Kiri. For meals, they usually threw in our leftover fish, rotten and aged. But the sharks would still eat it. Once, they threw in a whale carcass. It had been trapped in one of the fisherman's nets and it suffocated to death. They didn't know what else to do with it. It was the first, and only, time I'd seen a feeding frenzy. My harmless-looking fishes suddenly resembled a pack of sharks devouring that whale carcass.

I smiled fondly at the memory. The instructors used to threaten us by saying that whoever misbehaved would get thrown into the shark tank. Kiri was very different from Konoha, but that didn't mean it didn't have a charm of its own.

I watched as the piece of bread became smaller and smaller. I pictured doing the same to my enemies one day, a swarm of petals slicing and tearing them apart as they dashed in and out of their defenses. Petals, so innocent-looking, blowing by with the breeze. But with a single command, they could turn into a lethal weapon.

At first, I tried to control them by taking turns to send commands to them. I could launch sequential attacks, but not concurrent ones. It would work if I wanted to send a stream of petals one at a time, but a coordinated attack was out of question. I quickly ruled that out.

My second attempt involved herding them. Giving every single petal the same command, which they executed simultaneously. When combined with my first strategy, I could manipulate several flocks of them at once, taking turns to send them to towards my enemy.

I tried using it against Jiraiya. Very quickly, I realized the flaw in it. I could only control one group at a time. Any decent quick-thinking and agile Shinobi could identify the mechanism behind it, and would simply target and destroy the inert flocks while dodging attacks from the active one. 'Putting all my eggs in one basket', Jiraiya had called it.

Now I was stuck at another dead end. Controlling the petals was more difficult than I could ever imagine. I looked at the fishes. They had finished their meal, and their swarm dispersed to reveal a bread-less tank of water. If only my petals were like my fishes. If only they could act independently and attack the bread by themselves, working together or individually. I wish I didn't have to dictate their each and every move, it was honestly slowing me down.

If only the petals were alive.

 _"In some sense, chakra's just as alive as we are."_ Jiraiya's words suddenly came back to haunt me. I blinked, sitting up straight and immediately ignoring my fishes again. I activated the Petal Star Jutsu, watching the petal hover above my palm.

Chakra _was_ life, wasn't it? Every living thing in the world had chakra in them, no matter the quantity. The petal didn't necessarily have to be alive, but the chakra itself could still possess a will of its own. Wasn't that what the Bijuu were? Massive entities constructed entirely out of chakra but still living, thinking creatures?

It wasn't just the Bijuu, I realized. Clones. Clones were alive as well. I didn't need to control their every muscle when I used them. I just gave them a general command, and they would do it themselves. What gave clones that unique sense of autonomy?

I focused on the chakra inside the petal. It hummed with excitement at my attention. _Fly up_ , I told it, making sure not to manipulate the chakra to actually do so. It needed to fly up by its own will. The petal continued to sit there.

 _Fly up_ , I told it again.

No reaction.

When it became clear that any subsequent attempts weren't going to work, I leaned back in my seat and sighed, cancelling the technique. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Back to the library it was.

* * *

"So?" Minato asked. "What's your assessment of him, Sensei?"

They weren't at the Hokage's desk. They were sitting on a collection of sofas scattered in the corner of the Hokage's office. Just because Minato was now the Hokage didn't mean there was a need to be formal _all the time_. He had called for Inoichi as well. The presence of Kagura's psyche evaluator could only shed further light on Jiraiya-sensei's findings.

Jiraiya-sensei was an excellent judge of character. It was something that even Inoichi concurred with, and so when the Sannin spoke, both blonds leaned forward to listen.

"He's a good kid," Jiraiya said. "Very bright, like Orochimaru. But also more sociable, unlike Orochimaru. He has friends in the Academy. The Uchihas. Itachi and uh... some other girl the year below."

"Izumi," Minato supplied. He had expected Itachi, given their shared status as prodigies and his initial request to be in the same class as her. But Izumi was a pleasant surprise.

"Yeah," Jiraiya nodded absent-mindedly, showing that he really didn't care about the 'other girl'. "He taught Itachi the Shunshin. Itachi taught him the Kage Bunshin. For the record, that bastard Orochimaru never taught _me_ a thing."

"That is good?" Minato ventured.

"Yes," Inoichi confirmed. "It shows that Kagura understands the give and take nature of human relationships. From what I have seen, Orochimaru seems adopt the 'take only' stance on them," he smiled wryly when Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement.

"What else?" Minato asked.

"He's scary," Jiraiya said matter-of-factly. "When he masters his original technique - and trust me, sooner or later, _he will -_ I think even Chunnins will find it very difficult to defeat him. Give him two years, maybe even less, and he'll surpass Anko."

"But isn't she a student of Orochimaru's as well?" Inoichi asked. "She's a hard worker too, isn't she? And quite gifted, if I say so myself."

"She's definitely diligent and talented," Jiraiya acknowledged, "but given Orochimaru's teaching style, Kagura will definitely improve faster."

Inoichi frowned, "how... exactly does Orochimaru teach?"

Jiraiya laughed. "He doesn't."

Minato blinked. "Do elaborate."

"As a student, pretty much ninety percent of Orochimaru's progress came from self-learning and self-training. All Sarutobi-sensei did was to nudge him here and there, and answer whatever few questions he had. It seems Orochimaru expects his students to do the same. He gives them fixed and tough training schedules, but that's as far as he goes. Frankly speaking, it's more of Orochimaru's library that's been teaching Kagura and Anko than Orochimaru himself. He only involves himself in their combat trainings."

"That sounds like a very hands-off approach," Inoichi remarked. "I'm surprised it has worked out so well."

"The best way to train prodigies," Jiraiya shrugged, "is to let them do their own thing. They'll figure things out on their own most of the time. When they can't, you usually only have to give them a few pointers. But, the drawback is that their progress depends solely on their rate of learning."

Minato let out a sigh. "That'll explain why Kagura will surpass Anko so soon. Even if she's bright, Kagura stands on a different level, doesn't he?"

"Minato," Jiraiya said slowly, "he more or less created a simplified version of your Rasengan. He's not even _seven_."

"Maybe I should teach it to him," Minato said thoughtfully, "then maybe _he'll_ be able to complete it."

"I don't doubt it," Jiraiya muttered.

"All this talk about his aptitude and his talent is well and good," Inoichi said, "but I think we agree the _real_ concern is his flight risk status."

Minato took a deep breath. Because what Inoichi mentioned really was the crux of the issue. The more promise Kagura showed, the more devastating a potential betrayal could be. _Please Sensei_ , he prayed, _tell me you have good news_.

"I think we'll be fine," Jiraiya said. "He likes it here. He really does. He's got friends here. He's got resources here. It really wouldn't make sense for him to leave. It would really take a great amount of stress and tension to upset his loyalty to Konoha."

"What kind of stress and tension?" Minato asked.

"I don't know," Jiraiya shrugged. "But something as inconsequential as his life probably won't cut it. He'll die for the village, I can see that much, at least."

"What about a conflict of loyalties?" Inoichi probed. "If his loyalty to something else forced him to choose between that and Konoha?"

"Hmmm," Jiraiya pondered. "I'm not sure where else his current loyalties lie. His friends maybe? But he's only met them for a few weeks. Oh, he's probably loyal to Orochimaru and Anko, but that shouldn't be a problem."

Minato's eyes narrowed. Itachi and Orochimaru. They were probably the other two biggest stakeholders in Kagura's life. He felt relieved. Itachi's loyalty to Konoha was as unshakable as the Hokage Monument. He'd seen it from a short conversation he had with the girl once. And Orochimaru? No one could ever point their fingers at the Sannin for being traitors. They'd contributed far too much. Even Tsunade, who'd taken an indefinite leave of absence. He trusted that the Senju Princess would return the day the village needed her.

Trust was a very dangerous thing, Minato knew. But the absence of it would only lead to a world rife with lies and wars.

* * *

There was a knock on the door of Orochimaru's lab.

I looked up from my book. I was nearing a breakthrough, I was sure of it. I was almost tempted to ignore the visitor.

The visitor knocked again. I looked at the clock.

 _21:15_. If I were any other six-year-old, I would have to be asleep, bedtimes and whatnot.

It was probably Kushina, wanting to take me out for desert like she had yesterday. Or maybe it was Jiraiya, coming in to disturb me because the hot springs were now closed. A small part of me thought - no, hoped - that it was Itachi. But the Uchiha Heiress had no business to come down here for, especially not so late.

Reluctantly, driven by nothing more than social etiquette, I opened the door. I almost thought he was an assailant at first, because so much of his face was hidden. Only one lone eye was revealed.

"Yo," Kakashi gave me lazy wave.

"Kakashi-san," I greeted. "What brings you here so late at night?" I hadn't expected him. And he wasn't the type to drop by for a mere social call. He'd only come if he had a reason, and I was curious to know what said reason was.

"Rin's leaving the village tomorrow." _Was that a twinge of hurt in his voice?_ "We're throwing her a farewell party, you wanna come?"

Rin was leaving? That was... sudden. I realized I hadn't even seen the brown-haired girl in a few months. I hadn't needed to go to the hospital ever since Orochimaru left. It would be a shame if I didn't even say goodbye. She'd gone out of her way to be nice to me while I was there.

But... I was so close to a breakthrough for my Petal Star Jutsu. I glanced back at the lab. In those pages were a ticket to strength and power, I just knew it.

Then I looked back at Kakashi. His shoulders were more sunken than normal. His slouch was even more pronounced. His one lone eye seemed more shut than open.

I closed the door behind me.

Strength and power could wait. Rin was leaving tomorrow.

As I locked the door, I asked Kakashi where Rin was going.

"She's going to find Tsunade-sama," he said listlessly. "And she's going to keep bugging her until Tsunade-sama agrees to take her on as an apprentice."

* * *

In an unmarked underground cavern, Madara Uchiha sighed.

Obito held potential. So much potential. The young Uchiha was in front of him, passed out from exhaustion. He'd pushed him even harder than normal in his Sharingan training.

He was running out of time. Obito needed to become strong fast. But more importantly, he needed Obito to change his mind as soon as possible.

If only he had more time, Madara thought. Then the training wouldn't have to be so rushed. And he could use more subtle means to subvert the boy's personality and attitude.

Madara noticed his own shadow suddenly becoming darker.

"Yes?" he asked.

A pair of yellow orbs blinked in the shadow's head, separately from Madara's own eyes.

"Good news," the entity hidden in his shadow whispered in a voice that could not be human. "An opportunity has arisen."

Madara allowed himself a smile.

Perhaps he had enough time after all.

* * *

 **A/N: Uh Oh. Anyway, still looking for a Beta. Follow, Fav, Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"No." Kushina snatched the cup out of Kakashi's hand and waggled a finger at him. "No drinking. You're underage."

Even though his face was completely covered by his mask, Kakashi's frown was clear as day. "I'm legally an adult," he said.

"Well _biologically_ ," Kushina retorted, "you are not. I don't want you drinking until you're twenty-one. Go find some other vice if you want to relieve stress."

Kakashi sighed. Then he grabbed the cup of punch in my hand and turned around. _He's hiding his face_ , I realized too late. The cup was instantly back in my hand except now it was empty, and Kakashi stalked off to another part of the room where Minato was talking to some of Rin's friends from the hospital, his mask still securely in place.

Kushina shook her head next to me. "What am I ever going to do with that one? Not even sixteen and already having self-destructive tendencies."

Rin, normally cheerful and bubbly, forlornly watched Kakashi walk away from my other side. "I knew he would take it the hardest. I just wish he wouldn't try to bottle it up like he always does. He still hasn't gotten over Obito." She let out a dejected breath, swirling her own cup of punch in her hands, but never taking a sip from it.

"Obito?" I asked, hearing the unfamiliar name. "Who's that?"

"The third member of our team," Rin replied mutely. "He died during the war. He was the one who gave Kakashi his Sharingan."

 _Kakashi has a Sharingan_? No wonder he always kept the other eye covered. It would've been a constant drain of chakra if he left it open all the time.

"That kid," Kushina grumbled. "He says he's an adult, but he's obviously still a child on the inside. He's what... thirteen years old?"

"Almost sixteen already," Rin corrected. "I'm worried for him. I know he's been skipping meals lately. All he does is throw himself into ANBU, and it's not healthy! I don't understand why Minato-sensei lets him do this."

I felt a little out of place, with the two of them having such a heart-to-heart conversation over my head. I would have left a long time ago, but Kushina's cheek was firmly pressed up against my scalp.

"Don't worry Rin!" Kushina gave her a thumbs up. "I'll take care of him while you're gone! I have an idea."

Rin smiled. "Thanks, Kushina-san. And thank you too, Kagura."

I blinked. "But I didn't even say anything."

"Not right now," she laughed. "But it was you and Anko that motivated me to do this."

Huh. When did we do that?

"You remember? That time, in the hospital? When you two were telling me what it meant to be a Sannin's apprentice?"

I did remember.

"I guess I was just really moved by how you two were giving it your all. To be honest, I haven't been training much. I can feel myself growing satisfied with where I am now, especially since the war's over. But then I remember... that if I hadn't gotten captured back then... we would have all managed to escape and Obito would still be alive." I could see the muscles in her hand tensing up as she held the cup even harder. I hoped it didn't break.

Kushina's lips were dipping downwards. Rin was teetering into the realm of self-blame. "Is that why you want to find Tsunade?" I asked. "So you can learn to fight _and_ heal?"

She nodded. "That's the main reason, I guess. But I also want to try to convince her to come back to Konoha. Everyday in the hospital I hear, 'if only Tsunade-sama was here'. Do you know many more lives we could have saved?"

A loud and deep laugh interrupted us. That would be Jiraiya.

"Like Tsunade would ever return to Konoha just because some _kid_ told her to," he said. He placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "Look, I know you mean well. But if you really want Tsunade to teach you, you can't even _mention_ the idea of her coming back."

"I don't get why she hates the village so much." Rin seemed almost angry. "I get that she's lost some people she loved, but we all did. Look at _Kakashi_. But _he's_ still here, even if all he does is mope around."

"Rin..." It wasn't Jiraiya who spoke next, but Kushina. The white-haired man looked too bitter to even talk. "There is nobody, _nobody_ , in the whole of Konoha, who lost more than Tsunade. And that's including me."

"But you lost your whole village," Rin pointed out.

"I came here when I was six, Rin. I never held _that_ much attachment to it. And I also still had Mito-sama then. But Tsunade? She was left with _nobody_."

"Brat, don't forget, she went through a war of her own," Jiraiya said. "And by the end of it, Tsunade had lost _everyone_. Her great-uncle and clan head, the Nidaime, died in an ambush. Her parents went out one day and never came back. She watched the two most important people in her life, her brother and her fiancé, die in her arms."

"What..." Rin gulped, "what happened to them?"

"Nawaki, her brother, got caught in a trap. His body was so burnt and crushed that she didn't even recognize him. And it was only because Orochimaru," Jiraiya looked at me, "watched it happen that she accepted it."

"Orochimaru?" Rin asked the exact same question on my mind.

"Nawaki was only a Genin," Jiraiya explained softly. "And Orochimaru was their Jounin Sensei. All three Genin died in their first mission outside the village walls."

I hadn't known Orochimaru had another Genin team besides Anko's. And now that I thought about it, Anko was Orochimaru's only surviving Genin student. No wonder he didn't like taking in anymore students.

"In the span of a few months, everybody precious to her disappeared. Like any loyal ninja, Tsunade returned home at first. But you could see it was breaking her. Waking up alone, in an empty and deserted clan compound. The neighbors could hear her screaming and crying in her sleep. And let's not even talk about the number of people who died on the operating table. When Tsunade heals someone, she pours her soul into it. Every death weighed on her soul like she had failed them. And after a few weeks, she couldn't take it anymore. She left, taking nothing but an apprentice."

Rin sat there quietly for a few moments. "I never knew," she murmurred. "There were days I got angry at her for abandoning the village. But I never knew that she was the person who'd given up the most for it."

"We don't publicize it," Jiraiya shrugged. "If people found out that Tsunade was technically a missing-nin, she'd be hunted down."

Rin stared down at her cup which, until now, she still hadn't drank from. "Do you think I should still find her then? Won't I remind her of all the things she's lost? I don't want to hurt her even more."

"No," Jiraiya said resolutely, surprising her. "I think you should still find her. She _needs_ you to find her. All she has right now is Shizune. She needs more people in her life. She'll definitely reject you at first. But you can't give up. The secret," he smiled slyly, "is Shizune. If you can get Shizune to like you, then you can stick around and slowly pester your way into her heart." He paused, tilting his head as though he was recalling something. "Now that I think about it, that's how she kind of got Shizune, actually."

"What's this Shizune person like?" Rin asked, sounding very serious. "And what kind of people does she like?"

"Brat..."

"Wait, Jiraiya-sama. Let me get a pen and write this all down!" Upon saying that, Rin immediately stood up and was about to run off somewhere before Jiraiya grabbed her by the collar and dragged her back into her seat next to me.

"Brat," Jiraiya said again, this time more sternly. "You'll be fine. You have a good heart. You're decently talented with Medical Ninjutsu. Just show her how determined you are, and I promise you that Shizune will love you."

"So as long as this Shizune person likes me, Tsunade-sama will definitely take me in?" Rin asked excitedly.

"Uh... it might take a year or two, but yes. Once she accepts that you're there to stay, she'll start nitpicking at you, and before she knows it, she's training you!"

"Oh my God." Rin was beginning to fluster and breathe more quickly. "I'm going to be Tsunade-sama's apprentice!" _Is... is she hyperventilating?_

I was Orochimaru's apprentice, and I never made such a big fuss about it. And I was fairly sure neither Anko nor Minato got this emotional when they got _their_ apprenticeships either.

"Rin, calm down," Kushina snapped. She took one of Rin's hands into her own. And then she brought it to my cheek that was facing her. "Pinch," she ordered.

I was so stunned I couldn't even react. _What am I, a human stress doll?_ But Rin's fingers were soon molding and massaging my cheek, and Kushina's followed suit very soon.

"Relaxing, isn't it?" Kushina said blissfully, using her other hand to hold down my head when I tried to lean away. She was deceptively strong for a woman with such a lean frame.

Rin nodded, and her face returned back to its normal color and her breathing relaxed. "I am going to become Tsunade-sama's apprentice," she said, much softer and steadier than before.

"That's right," Kushina nodded approvingly.

"I can't believe it," Rin sighed dreamily. "I guess I really ought to thank Orochimaru-sama for poisoning your food, right Kagura? Otherwise I'd never have gotten that wake-up call."

The fingers pinching one of my cheeks suddenly squeezed _hard_. _Painfully hard._

And Jiraiya, who had finally allowed himself to start drinking, suddenly spat out his mouth's contents.

"Orochimaru did _what_ now?" gasped out Jiraiya, who was still coughing out his drink.

" _Kagura_ ," Kushina whispered pleasantly into my ear. "Is there anything you want to tell me? _Anything at all_?"

 _Curse Rin and her big mouth_ , I thought.

* * *

"Rin," Minato said. "Take this." In his hand was a kunai, and oddly-shaped one with three blades instead of one. It resembled a gardening fork, though the side blades were much shorter and could act as a guard as well. Minato spun the blade so that the handle was now facing Rin, and I could see that there was paper wrapped around it. Paper with inscriptions on it, I realized. _The Hiraishin Marker_.

Rin reached out to take it, but hesitated at the last moment. "I'm don't think I should," she said uncertainly.

Minato tilted his head slightly, calmly asking, "Why not?"

"I don't want to be tempted. Knowing that I can ask you to take me home any day... I think it'll affect my resolve to stay by Tsunade-sama's side while she keeps on rejecting me. I don't want to be swayed to take an easy way out."

Minato seemed almost proud, but then his face turned very serious. "Rin. Just because the war's over doesn't mean that it's safe outside. You'll be alone for the most part, and there are many foreign nin who still bear a grudge. I'd feel a lot more reassured if you were carrying one of these. Just throw it when you're in trouble and I'll be there in a flash."

Rin still looked unsure. "But..."

"If you're that worried," Minato said with a smile, "I can promise you that I'll never let you give up and return to the village until Tsunade has finished teaching you, no matter how much you beg."

 _Isn't that just conditional exile?_ I thought.

After a moment of thinking, she took the kunai and pocketed it. "Thanks, sensei. I know you always keep your promises," she said gratefully.

Minato straightened. "Nohara Rin." He was using his Hokage-voice, the one he used when he was giving speeches or commands. "As the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, I am hereby giving you a mission. Your primary objective is to find the Sannin Tsunade and become her apprentice. Your secondary objective is to convince her to return to the village. Can you do it?"

Rin nodded, beaming widely as she did so. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I can."

* * *

 _Yin and Yang_ , I thought while meditating. _That's all chakra is in the end, isn't it?_ _A mixture of spiritual and physical energy._

What made clones alive? What gave the Bijuu consciousness? What did I need to give the petals for them to have some kind of will of their own?

Spirit. They all had larger concentrations of Yin-energy, or spiritual chakra. And I was going to need to learn how to utilize it. Spiritual chakra came from one's mental strength. And mental strength came from things like meditating, concentrating, and stuff like that. At least, that's what the book said. Orochimaru's library had been annoyingly vague on the topic of souls and spiritual energy. I supposed it was something few people took the effort to learn. Most of the kids in the academy were only interesting in learning 'awesome' Jutsus, like fireballs and explosions. Basically things that required more physical energy than spiritual.

But there was a whole plethora of techniques that relied on spiritual energy. Inoichi's mind Jutsus probably required a strong mastery of it. Genjutsus, especially those that affected the brain directly, were probably more spiritually-oriented as well. It was an underappreciated art, and I wondered why there wasn't more literature about it.

The answer came to me immediately. _Because it's dangerous_. Physical energy was straightforward. The more energy you put, the more powerful your technique would become. The same couldn't be said for spiritual. Varying the quantity affected the technique in complex ways - it wasn't a direct correlation. I could only imagine what would have happened if Inoichi's Yin-energy had been off-balanced whenever he did his Mindwalking Jutsu on me. It would have probably destroyed my psyche and fried my brain. Alternatively, he might have ended up losing the ability to return to his own mind, which was the same as death. Maybe both would've happened. Whatever the case, spiritual energy was something beginners shouldn't mess around with.

I could say that, but I was still diving into my psyche to find it anyway.

Chakra was a combination of spiritual and physical energies, but those two were distinct substances. Which meant that there had to be a place where they gathered and mixed to produce chakra. And now I was trying to find that place within my own body.

I was tracing the flow of chakra within myself. It had its own circulatory system, and I could feel the steady and constant flow of energy humming within my own body if I concentrated hard enough. There had to be a source of it all, somewhere from which all the chakra came from.

I started going against the flow of chakra. Swimming against the current that kept it pumping across my body. And as the current grew stronger, I knew I was reaching closer to the origin. Before I knew it, I was swimming in circles, and I was suddenly confused. Then I realized it wasn't a circle, but a spiral.

 _A whirlpool._

And then I was in the center.

I blinked. Which shouldn't have been possible, because my eyes were closed and I was meditating.

I was also standing, which was strange, because I sat down when I meditated.

I blinked again.

My eyes weren't closed, I realized. It was just dark. And I was no longer at my home.

 _Where... where exactly am I?_

For a moment, I worried that I'd messed up and was now having an out-of-body experience. Which would have been gravely disturbing because that meant my soul was now out of my body and I had no idea how to put it back. _No_ , the logical part of my brain told me, _you didn't even touch spiritual energy in its raw form. That's impossible_.

I was relieved that my soul was still firmly in my body, where it should have been. But if that was the case then... _where exactly am I_?

The logical part of my brain had no answer.

I took a step forward. There was a splashing sound.

Then I realized my feet were submerged in water. I took another step. And another.

In the darkness, any direction was the right direction. There was no breeze, no smell, no sound to guide me towards anywhere else but ahead.

I didn't know how long I walked. But it was long enough that when I saw the glow in the distance, I burst into an all-out sprint. It was a weak light. It didn't shine, but it glowed. It wavered and flickered, dimming and brightening erratically.

 _Fire_ , I realized. _A torch_.

Then I felt the breeze, and I knew I was heading in the right direction.

All of a sudden, I wasn't running in darkness anymore. I could see jagged outlines that formed walls around me, and the ground I was running on became rougher and uneven.

 _Rock_.

I was in a cave. A tunnel within one, at least.

I kept running. The torch had to symbolize something. Maybe an exit.

I was running so fast that I nearly fell off. I had reached the exit of the tunnel. But it wasn't at the torch. The torch was still a vast distance ahead. And it wasn't the only one.

A whole ring of torches was in front of me, stuck into the walls of a giant and massive cavern, and I was now standing on a ledge that was dozens of feet above the ground. If I'd fallen off, I would have been seriously hurt.

No I wouldn't, I realized, when I saw the reflection of the torches below me. It was a pool of water below me, and there was a strange light coming from it. It looked like the reflection of a non-existent moon, perfectly round and shining brightly.

Except this was mostly red, made up of concentric crimson rings, barring a black dot in the center surrounded by a yellow ring.

I bent downwards and felt for something. I found a small pebble. I raised my arm over the edge and dropped it.

There was a small 'sploosh' sound as the pebble dropped into the water, and its surface became distorted as the water rippled. The image of the strange object was disturbed as well. So it _was_ submerged.

And then suddenly it vanished. And then it appeared again.

I blinked at it.

It blinked back.

A feeling of dread immediately raced through my spine.

It vanished again. This time it did not return.

I stared at the empty pool of water. And all I could think was, _where's its other eye?_

* * *

Inoichi sighed in content. Becoming a clan head had its perks. For one thing, it gave him the perfect excuse to step down as the head of Torture and Interrogation. Now, he was taking a more consulting role in the organization, only returning when his skills and input were required.

He liked this new lifestyle. It came with its own responsibilities and obligations, but it wasn't _demanding_. The Yamanaka were fairly well-behaved, and they weren't so involved in the village like the Uchiha or the Akimichi that he had to go running around the village most of the day.

Most days he could just stay at home, tend to his garden, and man the flower shop.

Which was exactly what he was doing now. He was sitting behind the counter, skimming through the clan's finances. They were in fairly good shape, though he reckoned a little bit of frugality wouldn't hurt anyone.

He sensed someone come in. Still in the midst of his calculations, he let them browse through the shop at their own pace - they would come to him anyway if they needed help.

"Inoichi-san."

The voice sounded familiar. He looked up. There was nobody there. He blinked. He could've sworn somebody had said his name. And the shop looked empty even though he was certain he had felt somebody else's presence enter.

He frowned. Perhaps he'd been a little lax in maintaining his training.

"I'm down here, Inoichi-san."

Inoichi blinked. Then he leaned over the counter and looked down.

"Kagura!" he exclaimed in surprise. _I didn't see you because you're too short and the counter was blocking you_ , he wanted to say. But he knew Kagura was starting to get sensitive about his height, or rather, his lack of it. "I'm sorry, I was reading something. What brings you to the Yamanaka flower shop?" He asked. "Need more petals?"

The boy shook his head. Then Inoichi knew that something was wrong when he saw the boy look downwards, as if almost afraid to speak his mind.

The boy was many things, but shy was one thing he was not.

"What happened?" Inoichi asked in concern, hopping over the counter to kneel next to Kagura.

"I was trying to practice Yin Chakra," the boy said. Inoichi felt his eyebrows rise. The Yin-Yang nature of chakra was something even most Jounins avoided if they didn't need to use it. "So I was meditating, and looking deep within myself."

A pit formed in Inoichi's gut. "What did you see?" he asked gently.

"I saw the Sanbi."

Inoichi knew, from his many Mindwalks into Kagura's mind, that the Sanbi was the one thing the boy was afraid of. And he could see that the fear still haunted the Jinchuuriki. He lifted Kagura up, carrying him like a child. He did not resist, and that was how he knew Kagura was truly scared. The many conversations he had with Kagura had long since cemented that he was mature and insightful, but still, Kagura was a child.

And all children handled fear poorly.

He placed Kagura on the counter itself, not wanting the boy to stand any longer than he needed to. Then Inoichi returned to his seat and faced Kagura.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

I told Inoichi everything. Starting from how I traced the flow of chakra in my body and ending with me waking up from my trance, soaked to the bone with cold sweat.

"What is that place?" I asked. I had no one else to turn to. So few people knew about the Sanbi, and with Orochimaru still out of the village, Inoichi had seemed like the next best choice given his expertise in the human psyche.

I could tell that he was troubled. His thumb was stroking his chin absentmindedly as he thought. "If I had to guess," he finally said, "I would say that it was the bridge between your soul and that of the Sanbi's. What you described... it is not something ordinary humans have. I have delved into the minds of hundreds of people, including my own, and not once have I seen anything similar to it before. You said that you could feel physical sensations like the wetness of the water, right?"

I nodded.

"And did you feel like you had control over that space? Did you feel at ease being there?"

I shook my head. I had felt trapped, suffocated, completely lost.

Inoichi nodded his head. "Then I think I may be right. Those symptoms tell me that wherever you went, it is not a construct of your mind. It is something else entirely."

"Is it the Sanbi's? I asked.

Inoichi shook his head. "If you had entered a domain that was under the jurisdiction of the Sanbi, it would not have let you leave. It would have taken over, and Konoha would be in ruins now."

"Then whose it?"

"Neither of yours. It is No Man's Land. The Sanbi and you have separable souls. But you two share the same physical space. That means that the distinction between your soul and the Bijuu's must be metaphysical in nature. That cavern is where your soul ends, and where the Sanbi's begins. It is also where..." Inoichi looked concerned, "it is where the seal would be located. In fact, it would not be far off to say that the whole cavern is the seal."

I gulped. "The pond. The pond is the seal, isn't it?"

Inoichi nodded grimly. "Perhaps. You probably will need to take a closer look to be sure. But if the pond itself is the seal, I can assure you that the Sanbi will not be able to escape the pond unless you allow it."

It did reassure me. I had been quite afraid that the Sanbi could crawl out anytime it wanted. Then I realized Inoichi was still looking at me very intently. "Did... did I do something wrong?" I asked. I remembered when I first arrived, when they kept on asking me questions about the Sanbi. Now that I had actually met it, I wondered if things were going to change.

"I don't think so," Inoichi said, relaxing slightly. "But I will have to notify the Hokage of this development. He probably knows the meaning of your encounter. I am not well-versed with the minds of Jinchuuriki for me to accurately determine the severity of this situation."

I had expected Minato to be informed of this, of course. It didn't matter who I told it to.

But this was still only half the reason that I came to find Inoichi.

"Inoichi-san."

"Yes?"

"Can you teach me how to access Yin-Chakra?"

* * *

Itachi's fist sailed towards my face, and I could only dodge it by a hair's width. Then she twisted and bent her arm so that her elbow collided into my cheek.

I could feel my teeth cutting into the inner walls of my mouth.

Technically, the battle was already over. It was a Taijutsu match until first blood, and my tongue was tinged with the metallic taste of defeat. Not that I was going to announce it of course. What Itachi didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

I couldn't afford to lose this. I had Itachi beat at Ninjutsu. She had me beat at Shurikenjutsu. The top spot in class depended on this Taijutsu fight. Maybe it was remnants of my Kiri upbringing. Maybe I was just competitive. But I just didn't want to lose.

Though at this rate, I was probably going to. Itachi was certainly skilled at Taijutsu. It was something all Uchiha excelled at, and she would become nigh unbeatable once she had the assistance of the Sharingan. She did not rely on feints, nor on the power behind her strikes. Every blow was perfectly calculated with a merciless and robotic efficiency, designed to inflict as much damage as possible with minimal movement.

I'd been flipped by her, punched by her, and even kicked by her. The only reason I hadn't lost yet was because I trained with Anko, who often used me as a test subject for whatever she was trying to practice. Though that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Itachi was actually bigger and taller than me despite being the same age, and so her attacks had left me in incredible pain.

There was only one thing I could do to win. Taijutsu wasn't Orochimaru's forte. He was still a Sannin, so he wasn't bad, but his hand-to-hand combat didn't go very far beyond past the average Jounin's.

He was good enough that he could disengage from close quarter combat situations and use Ninjutsu to finish off whatever opponent he was facing. But Taijutsu was not something he relied on when it came to defeating skilled enemies. That was his general strategy, the same one he had been training for me to use well. Which equated to me not having particularly amazing Taijutsu either.

But what Orochimaru was very good at was surprising people. In other words, cheating. Which was exactly what I was going to do.

I hissed in pain when my hand reached up to feel my bruised cheek. Itachi made a small smirk. _Come at me_ , she seemed to say.

I grinned. It was finally time to test out the Petal Star Jutsu.

* * *

"How was school today, Itachi?" her father asked her over dinner.

Itachi didn't answer, continuing to poke at her rice with her chopsticks.

"Itachi, is something wrong?" her mother asked in concern. "You haven't eaten a thing so far!"

"I lost to someone today," she finally admitted.

Her mother blinked. Her father put down his bowl of rice and swallowed. Their stunned silence was enough to know that they wanted to know more.

"It was a Taijutsu match," she said. "Until first blood."

Her father coughed. "That is not so bad then. The kids in your class are older and bigger. A lucky hit or scratch is something even hours of practice cannot defend against.

She shook her head. "He was my age. Another prodigy." She rolled up her sleeve, showing a long and thin red line that stretched from her wrist to her elbow. It hadn't been deep, and she didn't even remember receiving it. That was probably the point, subtly inflicting a minor cut whose only purpose was to draw blood. She did not doubt that it could have been much deeper.

Her father leaned over to inspect it. "That's not a Taijutsu wound." He sounded slightly confused. "Not even nails can cut so neatly."

She nodded in agreement. "He cheated. I'm sure of it. But none of us know how. The Academy teachers even tried to search him afterwards. They didn't find anything. No weapons, no wires, nothing at all. They had no choice but to call it his victory."

"Impressive. Already able to fool the Chunin instructors? He must be quite talented," her mother praised. "What's his name?"

"Kagura. You remember him, mom? He was the flower boy with me at Kushina-san's wedding."

"Oh him!" her mother exclaimed in recognition. Her father also seemed to know Kagura, and she could see him furrowing his brow in concentration.

But her mind was no longer with the conversation with her parents. Because she suddenly remembered the wedding, and what she'd seen Kagura do there. He'd cut into a tree trunk with nothing but a flower petal. She didn't know how, but she was positive it had something to do with the cut on her arm.

She could feel her lips sinking downwards. Kagura's win in the Taijutsu fight earlier may have been fraud, but his victory over her in Ninjutsu was something the boy had truly deserved.

"-achi. Are you listening?"

Itachi looked up. Her father was speaking to her. She shook her head. "I apologize, Father. I was trying to recall something. Please repeat what you said."

"I said, I would like to meet this Kagura boy. Please invite him over for dinner one day."

Itachi blinked. Her father had never bothered about her social life before. Even Izumi was beneath him, and she was a member of the clan.

She bowed slightly. "I understand, Father."

* * *

Turned out my initial guess had been correct. Going to the source of my chakra was one possible way to affect the proportion of Yin and Yang in my chakra. But unfortunately, since a lot of my chakra came from the Sanbi, doing that meant that I actually had to interact with the Sanbi.

Inoichi had told me to stay away from the Bijuu until I was older. Instead, he showed me another way to increase the proportion of spiritual chakra.

 _"It's called Yin-release. It's a form of nature transformation that's not very well known. It's also much harder than your standard five elements. And much more dangerous."_

"Kid." Jiraiya blankly pointed at the red energy coating my hand. "Is that Yin-Release?"

I nodded. Inoichi had been equally surprised when I got it in my first try as well. In his own words, it involved deep meditation, until one could feel their soul, and then drawing from the energy that made up that soul.

It had been fairly easy for me to do, and I didn't understand why everyone seemed to have trouble doing it.

With a single mental command, a dozen petals that were folded and hidden flew out from my sleeves and sliced a tree branch in half. It fell to the ground with a crash, and the rustling of leaves was the only sound we heard for a while.

The petals returned into my sleeves, folding up as they did so. When the instructors had searched me after I beat Itachi, I had simply commanded the petals to move to a part of my body they weren't feeling up. They never suspected a thing.

Jiraiya whistled. "How many can you control?"

I shrugged. "I haven't counted. But it also depends on the complexity of the commands I give them." I paused. "They're kinda like clones."

"Of course they are," Jiraiya snorted. "You put your own soul in them. You do know that if you release too much spiritual chakra, you'll die right?"

I nodded. Inoichi had gone through that part with me. Our bodies had a natural limit to the amount of Yin-chakra we could release - a safeguard to stop people from dying from an over-usage of Yin-chakra. But that restriction could be lifted through certain means.

I hadn't even come close to that limit, and I wondered if it was normal or if it was because my spiritual reserves were unnaturally large.

"Maybe it's because you're a prodigy," Jiraiya said thoughtfully. He was probably thinking the same thing I was. "Many techniques use Yin-chakra. Genjutsus, the Yamanaka's mind techniques, the Nara's shadow techniques. But the different clone techniques are the most costly. You can vary the physical chakra in the clone - that only affects its strength and durability. But the amount of spiritual chakra in one is always very high - it has to equal that of an average human civilian _at least_. The fact you can make shadow clones is quite an achievement already, but most Jounins can only make three or four before they keel over from chakra exhaustion."

"What does this have to do with me being a prodigy?" Jiraiya wasn't really telling me anything I didn't already know.

"What I'm try to say," Jiraiya said impatiently, "is that you naturally have a disproportionately high amount of spiritual chakra."

"It's because I have a mature mind, but a child's body, isn't it?"

Jiraiya gave me a pointed look. "Don't call your mind mature, brat. Nobody likes self-patronage. But yes, your mind is far more developed than your body. So naturally you have more Yin than Yang. Of course, being a Jinchuuriki means that you have plenty of both, but your natural intellect skews the balance towards Yin."

"And this affects the Petal Star Jutsu _how_?" I asked.

"Elemental chakra requires more Yang than Yin. So in their default state, your petals contain more Yang than Yin."

I immediately understood what he was trying to get at. "So by putting in more Yin chakra to control them, I turn the distribution more equal. From that... since I normally have more Yin than Yang... I could theoretically control every petal I use."

Jiraiya nodded. "It depends on your concentration and coordination. Even if they have some autonomy, controlling all these petals individually can't be easy."

I shook my head. It wasn't. For larger numbers, I still had to resort to an improved version of the grouping method.

"It's like trying to look at multiple directions at once, isn't it?" Jiraiya grinned. He was absolutely right. There were still many variables, and keeping track of them in the heat of combat was nearly impossible for me.

"You're smart, Kagura. But this requires a type of intelligence that comes from training. You need to find a Nara to teach you."

"Nara?" I asked. They were a clan that used shadows. I knew that much about them, but they were also a clan that liked to keep to themselves. There was one of them in my Academy class. I didn't know his name, but he spent most of his time either sleeping or staring out the window.

"A clan full of geniuses." I raised my eyebrow. That seemed rather... dubious. Prodigal talent didn't come from genes, after all.

"Not the kind of geniuses you and Itachi are," Jiraiya clarified. "Besides their shadows, they specialize in strategy. Their kids can play shogi better than most adults can, and thinking twenty to fifty steps ahead is something they're trained to do. If you can get them to teach you, you'll be able to control your army of petals with far greater effectiveness."

"How will they teach me?" I asked. "Don't tell me I'm going to have to sit through hours in a classroom." As if I didn't do _that_ enough at the Academy.

Jiraiya snorted. "The Naras? Giving a lecture? Like _that'll_ ever happen. They're as lazy as they come, so they're not going to do something so troublesome."

"Then what?"

"Beats me," Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm not a Nara. But I can only assume it involves Shogi. Or Go. Or some other game that only involves sitting down and thinking."

I frowned. "I don't know how to play any of those." It wasn't really like I had any reason to learn them before.

Jiraiya grinned. "You'd better start learning then."

* * *

"What are you reading?" asked Itachi as she slid into the seat next to me.

I looked up from the book in surprise. Class was already over, and it was rare to see Itachi stay back. Even more so in the library, because the Uchiha Clan's own collections of books definitely surpassed the paltry selection found in the Academy.

"A beginner's guide to shogi," I said, flipping over the cover of the book so Itachi could see it. For all his knowledge and his love for collecting things, Orochimaru didn't have any books on the game and it made me wonder if the Sannin knew how to play at all. Likewise, when I asked Anko if she could teach me, she had given me a strange look. _"Do I look like a Nara to you? Why would I ever bother learning something like that?"_

Left with no other choice, I had resorted to scouring the Academy library to find out the rules of the game. The book was in fairly good condition, so I suspected few students ever borrowed it.

"Shogi?" Itachi sounded curious. "You want to learn how to play?"

I nodded. "It's a good mental exercise."

"I can play with you, if you want. After you have finished this book."

"You can play?" I asked.

She nodded. "My father taught it to me a few weeks ago. I have a set at home. You can come over to play. Maybe even join us for dinner."

I smiled slightly. "I think that will be nice."

For a while, we sat in silence. I read my book, while Itachi... I wasn't sure what she was doing, because she couldn't just have been sitting there and watching me. She had to be thinking about something.

"That Taijutsu match last week..." she began.

Ah. So she was still thinking about _that_.

"I cheated," I told her honestly. "You actually won. When you elbowed me in the face, I cut my cheek on the inside. And I used Ninjutsu to cut you."

She blinked at me in surprise. Then she let out a sigh. "I suspected so." She pulled up her sleeve, revealing the cut I had given her with a petal then. It was almost gone now, just a faded line of dried blood that was already peeling off. "I don't suppose you're willing to tell me how?"

I shook my head. "Secret," I said playfully.

She nodded her head in understanding. "You invented your own Jutsu, didn't you?"

I kept quiet. There was no point in answering a question she already knew the answer to.

She let out another sigh. "Why the sudden interest in Shogi?" She asked, changing the topic.

"I was told to learn it," I shrugged. "There are still many ways I can improve."

"Yes," she said wryly. "Your Shirukenjutsu and Taijutsu need work too."

I could feel my eye twitch. "They are adequate for now. Did you come here to gloat, Miss Class Ranking Number Two?"

She frowned. "You are the one gloating now. And no, I did not. I have fulfilled my purpose already. I will be going home now, enjoy the book. I'll see you this weekend for Shogi and for dinner."

She stood up to leave, making no noise as she walked out.

I watched her leave, wondering what she had come here for. Then I shrugged to myself, returning to the book.

She probably just wanted to ask about the Taijutsu match.

* * *

 **A/N: And the Sanbi Returns!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

I lost to Itachi two games out of three. The small, smug grin on her face made me regret accepting her offer to come to her home. But on the other hand, her mother made _really good_ food.

"It's so nice to see you again, Kagura-kun," Mikoto smiled as she put more rice in my bowl.

I would have engaged in small talk, even if I didn't like doing it. But Itachi's father, Uchiha Fugaku, was staring at me. He had a pretty intimidating gaze, and the slight scowl he seemed to wear perpetually didn't help much.

Anko had brushed up on my social etiquette ever since she found out about the invitation. Step one: acknowledge the head of house.

"Thank you for letting me into your home, Fugaku-san."

He grunted. Then he crossed his arms. "You beat Itachi in a fight."

I blinked. Anko had never taught me how to respond to a comment like _that_.

The head of the Uchiha Clan couldn't possibly be _that_ petty, could he? I knew that Itachi would tell him about it, but I didn't know how he would react. Did he want to take revenge? Send across a warning? Forbid me from ever interacting with her again?

"I cheated," I admitted. "It wasn't a fair win."

Fugaku snorted. "Fairness isn't a word in a Shinobi's dictionary. You either win or lose. It is your victory, especially since you didn't get caught."

"Oh," I said, not really knowing how to respond to that. Was he impressed? Or was he just bitter? I couldn't tell. It was probably an Uchiha thing, the way their faces seemed so stoic and unreadable when they wanted it to be.

"You won't be joining a Genin Team after the graduation, will you?" he asked.

I shook my head. Itachi's eyebrows rose slightly before dropping back down - the only indication of her surprise. It was decided a long time ago. I wouldn't become a Shinobi, at least on paper. Smuggling me into a Genin Team would be too risky. And besides, it wasn't like I wanted to join one anyway. All they did were glorified chores.

"A shame," Fugaku said. "I would have liked for the two of you to be teammates."

"That would be quite an unbalanced team," I remarked. "Our third teammate will probably feel left out or discouraged."

"Hn." _Not my problem_ , his grunt seemed to say.

"What will you be doing after this?" Mikoto asked.

I shrugged. "Don't know. Whatever my mentor asks me to do, I suppose." I didn't know if Orochimaru would even be back after graduation. The chances were slim, but if the man died while outside, we'd probably never know either.

"Ah, that is true," Mikoto said. Her eyes darted towards Itachi, who didn't have the clearance to know just _who_ my mentor was.

"You never told me who your sensei is," Itachi frowned, the first words she'd spoken since the dinner began.

"He's just some old ninja," I said, trying to act dismissive and casual. "Nothing really remarkable about him. Mainly just throws scrolls and kunai at me."

Mikoto's lips twitched in amusement when she saw Itachi's confused face, who was probably trying to picture what I just said.

"Itachi will become a great ninja." There was audible pride in Fugaku's words. "But greatness does not come from a path of solitude. I would like you to walk that path with her. If possible, please continue to train with her even after the Academy. It will benefit you both."

Itachi had stopped eating. Between Fugaku's firm tone and her expectant stare, I could only say one thing.

"Okay."

* * *

"Good morning, Sorata-san."

The boy lifted his head off the table.

"Oh, it's you." He yawned. "Is class over yet?"

"No. It's still lunch."

He looked miffed when I said that. "What do you want?"

"Someone told me Naras are the best at strategy. Teach me."

His eyes, bleary and half-opened, suddenly snapped into focus.

"Why?"

"I need to learn how to balance various perspectives."

"Why?"

"So I can improve."

"Why?"

I frowned. Was he being infuriating on purpose? "So I can become stronger. So will you help me?"

Nara Sorata seemed to consider it. There were many reasons for him to say no. For one, he would gain nothing from it. Sharing clan training techniques was also frowned upon. And lastly, it would be extra effort for a clan notorious for their laziness. Truth be told, I fully expected him to reject my request.

"I can't help you," he said. I nodded my head in acceptance, more than prepared for it. Now I just had to find another-

"-but I'll try to ask my father. He knows more about this. I've only just started learning."

I blinked. Was that a yes?

"Is that all?" he asked while yawning. "I'll let you know tomorrow. I'm going back to sleep."

"Wait," I said. "Why are you helping me?" He had no reason to do so, and there was definitely no need to drag his father into it.

He shrugged. "Why not? It's the Konoha way. We help one another."

"Thank you," I said, moving away so he could return to his nap.

"You lost to me, so now you're asking a Nara for help?" Itachi asked, almost playfully, when I returned to my seat.

"That's right," I grinned. "Don't expect to win the next time we play."

I thought she would get annoyed, or even a little bit upset at that comment. Instead she seemed content.

"Sure. Next time," she repeated happily.

* * *

The Nara clan compound was one of the largests, bigger than their clan population deserved. Once I walked in, I understood why.

More than half of their land consisted of forests and deer. A whole herd of them was grazing on the fields right next to me.

"We mainly deal with herbs and medicine," Sorata explained as we walked in. "Deer velvet has many uses. The forest also has many herbs and fungus beneficial to the body."

I looked around, trying to understand the nature of the Naras from their architecture. The Uchiha Clan compound was ancient. Old stone buildings built with authority and grandeur in mind. The Nara houses were much smaller. They weren't shoddy, but their construction seemed to focus on simplicity and functionality instead.

It was a weekend, so many of clan members were milling about. Some were tending to the deer. Others were just lounging on their porches, reading or napping.

Overall, the Nara compound seemed to give off a very laidback and easygoing atmosphere. Like the Naras themselves, I supposed.

"How come your hair isn't like your clan's?" I asked.

Most of the men had long hair which they kept in ponytails. Even most of the boys were following that style. But Sorata kept his short.

"Because long hair is troublesome," he shrugged. "Takes too long to wash and tie up. Might as well cut it."

Cutting it regularly was troublesome too, I wanted to point out. But Sorata climbed up the stairs of one of the houses before I could. "Dad, I'm home!" he yelled out as he took off his slippers.

"In the living room!" Came a gruff reply. "Your Uncle Shikaku is here, too!"

Sorata gestured for me to enter, so I followed his lead. We walked to a side entrance and slid open a door.

There were two men hunched over a shogi board. They looked nearly identical, with similar hairstyles and body-build. The most distinguishing difference was the scars on the slightly-older-looking man's face.

He was Inoichi's friend, I recognized. The one who sat with him at Kushina's wedding.

"Hello, flower boy," he grinned at me.

Sorata nudged me. "He's the new clan head. Nara Shikaku. The one across him is my father."

I hesitated. Anko's lessons hadn't trained me for a scenario like this. Who did I greet first? The head of house or the head of clan?

"You're Kagura right?" Sorata's father asked me. It seemed they weren't big on formalities, which was a relief. I nodded. "Sorata's told me a lot about you. And about Itachi as well. It's all he talks about sometimes. 'Kagura did this, or Itachi did that. How do I do it?'"

I turned to look at my Nara classmate - who'd I never seen remotely attentive or even _awake_ in lessons - one eyebrow raised, silently demanding an explanation.

"What?" His face turned red, and then he mumbled out, "I do watch and listen _sometimes_."

I turned back to the adults. "I need help."

"Don't we all?" chuckled out Shikaku.

Sorata's father, whose name I still didn't know, nodded his head. "I heard from Sorata. We might be able to help, but we want to know why first."

I didn't mind showing the two adults, but I was slightly wary of Sorata. I didn't know who he would tell if he saw the Petal Star Jutsu.

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked him. The two older Naras looked amused, probably wondering what secret a six-year-old could possibly have. They both looked like Jounin. They should've been aware that I had _many_ secrets. Some of which even _they_ didn't know. Confused, Sorata slowly nodded.

I raised an arm. The sliding door was still open, and I pointed a finger at a tree outside. Immediately a chain of petals shot out of my sleeve, embedding themselves in its trunk. Moments later, they flew right back into the room, forming a halo above my head.

The adults blinked several times and looked at each other. Sora's lower jaw seemed to have dislocated.

"So _that's_ how you cut Itachi!" Sorata exclaimed after he recovered from his shock, the loudest I'd heard him speak yet.

"That's not one of the Academy Three." Sorata's father arched an eyebrow. "And it's not a Jutsu I recognize either."

"That's because I invented it," I told them truthfully.

"Inoichi told me you liked flowers," Shikaku said wryly, "but I never imagined he meant _this_."

"I'm guessing you want help with maneuvering and controlling them to make coordinated attacks," Sorata's father said, crossing his arms as he looked at me with renewed curiosity.

Slightly surprised at his keenness, I nodded blankly.

"The more complicated the movements, the fewer petals I can control. For a simple, uni-directional attack, I can use nearly two hundred petals. But once I try a two-pronged maneuver, the number drops to about eighty. The other hundred-ish just go haywire or stop responding at all."

"I understand what you mean," Shikaku said. "We Naras use shadows to control the movement of others. But the more targets we have, the harder it is. Especially if we want their actions to be independent of one another."

"So how do you do it?" I asked, pleased that they seemed to empathize with my predicament.

"It's called mental partitioning. Segregating your mind to focus on different things concurrently. It's difficult, and often requires years of mental exercises." Sorata's father took a deep breath. "Many people can start practicing from young, but success is never guaranteed."

Shikaku had a doubtful look on his face. "Are you sure you're willing to put in the effort? We're helping you no strings attached, so we do expect maximum effort and commitment."

I nodded my head resolutely. "I would give nothing less."

* * *

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAGURA-CHAN!"

My tiny apartment was packed with people. People who didn't live here.

I needed to get better locks. Though I doubted there was anything I could get or do to stop _these_ people from coming in.

They were all competent ninjas. Two of them were seal masters. One of whom was married to the Hokage who, with a few words, could gain entry into anywhere within the walls of Konoha.

Kushina was also holding cake, and that was always a good thing.

Kushina.

Jiraiya.

Anko.

Kakashi.

Only four guests and it already felt like my house was going to explode.

"You celebrate your date of birth?" I asked, finally accepting that they were here to stay. "Why?" It wasn't something we did in Kiri. Our dates of birth were nothing more than a series of numbers on our registration cards. Instead, we counted our age by every New Year.

"You're seven years old now!" Anko beamed. "And every extra year a Shinobi survives is an accomplishment!"

"I'm not technically a Shinobi," I pointed out with mirth. "Just a simple civilian trying to make the days go by."

Jiraiya snorted. "Sent on an infiltration mission at the age of five. Not a Shinobi, my ass. C'mon, loosen up! It's free cake!"

He had a point.

Cake was always good.

"I've been learning how to cook, so I baked it myself!" Kushina stated proudly. "Which means it's the best cake ever!"

"Didn't sensei get food poisoning last week?" Kakashi asked innocently.

"He didn't wash his hands," Kushina snapped, obviously eager to drop the topic, "it's his fault."

The cake was now on the table, so I sat down and was about to cut out a slice when Anko slapped my hand away.

"What?" I asked. "It's _my_ birthday, so shouldn't I get to eat first?"

"No, you idiot!" Anko facepalmed. "We have to sing first!" I stared at her blankly. What kind of stupid ritual was that? "The birthday song! Haven't you ever heard of it?"

I shook my head. Kiri was a simple place; if there was cake, you ate it.

Kushina gave a hearty laugh. "It goes like this. One, two, three!"

They started to sing a chirpy and jaunty tune while clapping out the rhythm. It was short and repetitive, doing little more than congragulating me for surviving another year.

Considering what I'd gone through so far, I supposed my survival did warrant _some_ celebration. Still, they hadn't done this for my _sixth_ birthday. But I guess I was technically still considered a Prisoner-of-War then.

When they finished, they all looked at me expectantly.

"Um. Thanks?" I said.

Their faces dropped, so I started clapping instead.

"No, you silly!" Anko said exasperatedly. "Now you make a birthday wish and blow out the candles!"

She pointed to the cake, which was quietly sitting on the table with decidedly _zero_ candles.

Anko blinked.

"Kushina-san?" Her voice went up all high and sweet-sounding. "Where are the candles?"

"I dunno. I said I'd settle the cake, yeah. Weren't _you_ supposed to handle the candles?" Kushina frowned, shrugging off the blame back to Anko.

Sighing, Anko said, " _no_ , I said I'd swipe his house keys and make a duplicate." So _that's_ how they got in. I definitely needed new locks now.

Kushina turned to look at Kakashi, who immediately backtracked. "Don't look at me, you just dragged me here an hour ago without warning."

Naturally all eyes fell on Jiraiya, who seemed too engrossed in jotting things down in a notebook to participate in the conversation.

He looked up when he felt our gazes focusing on him. "Is it time to eat cake yet?"

"Where. Are. The. Candles?" Kushina all but ground out.

"Candles? What candles- oh." Jiraiya suddenly stopped mid-sentence. There was a flash of guilt in his eyes. Then he looked around, his face thoughtful and concerned. "Well you see, given the small size of Kagura's apartment and how cluttered it is, I have elected, in my infinite wisdom as a Sannin and Sage, that an open flame would pose too great a fire hazard. So in the interest of everyone's safety, I felt it best to-"

"If you forgot, just say you forgot, yeah!"

"I forgot."

Kushina let out an irritated growl. "I swear, I'm going to-"

"Kushina-neesan," I gave a light-hearted laugh, trying to calm her down. "It's fine. Things are alright just the way they are."

And things really were.

* * *

In Kiri, we gave each other presents over the New Year. In Konoha, they did the same for birthdays.

Except Jiraiya. Jiraiya copped out fast. "Psh. Why do I have to give you anything? I've been giving you free training for the past few weeks!" I supposed it was a fair point, and I probably wouldn't have been able to complete the Petal Star Jutsu without him as a result.

"Here."

Kakashi was the first. It was a piece of cloth, dark blue and long. "It's a mask," Kakashi said, pointing at his own. "I know you have a twin. And in case you don't want people mistaking you for him in the future, you can always wear that."

That... that was actually pretty far-sighted of him. Yagura was definitely going to be high-profile in the future, assuming he was still alive. And having the same face as someone in the Bingo Books wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Thanks, I'll definitely keep that in mind," I said, carefully rolling the mask up and stuffing it into my pocket.

"My turn!" Anko shoved Kakashi aside and thrust _something_ into my hand. It was a metal rod shaped like a snake, a viper's mouth at the head before it tapered down into a sharp tail.

"It's a hair pin!" Anko declared happily. "And if you pull on the head, it's actually a hidden dagger!"

I did as she said, and when I tugged on the jewel-encrusted snake head, it came off, revealing a slender and sharp blade connected with it. I blinked. This was _cool_.

"I should grow my hair long and tie it into a bun," I joked. "So that I can actually use this."

"You'd better," Anko warned. "It was expensive. Besides, you have to keep your hair long. Orochimaru-sensei has long hair!"

"Yes," agreed Jiraiya with a laugh. "Combined with his slender build, it only ends up making him look like a woman from the back."

Anko sniggered. "Maybe. But Sensei could still kick your ass, you creep."

"Creep?" Jiraiya gawked. "I'll admit I'm a pervert, but out of the three of us, everyone always agrees that Orochimaru's the creepiest!"

"You guys just can't understand his genius," Anko huffed. "Sensei's great!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, muttering something about 'brainwashed' and 'lost cause'.

And finally, Kushina walked up to me. She had her hands behind her back, and I inferred that she was hiding her gift behind her.

"Close your eyes," she instructed.

I did.

I could feel her fingers sliding across my neck, and when she finally asked me to look, there was a weight on my neck that hadn't been there before.

A necklace. A thick leather cord was draped around my neck, and hanging above my chest was gemstone. It was nearly transparent, and pale blue in color. It reminded me of the sea.

"Aquamarine," Kushina informed me. "There used to be a mine of it in Uzu, so I have a whole bunch of them. I know your home is Konoha now, but that doesn't mean you should completely forget about Kiri. I never forgot about Uzu, even if I spent most of my life here, yeah."

"But aren't they our enemy?" I asked, slightly confused. Why would she want me to be reminded of my hometown? Was this some kind of test?

She placed her hand on my head. "Kagura. Just because someone was your enemy yesterday, it doesn't mean that they have to be your enemy tomorrow, you know? Minato's working _really hard_ to make peace with the other villages. And one day, when peace with Kiri looks possible, we want _you_ to be our ambassador."

I held the rock firmly with my hand. I didn't know how to feel about what she said. I didn't think of Kiri as my home anymore and if Konoha went to war with them again, I would side with the Leaf. But that didn't mean I hated them either. They were just... _there_.

But if the two villages could be allies... perhaps I wouldn't mind returning every now and then for a visit. I did miss their fresh seafood. And the constant sounds of the tide slapping against the shores. And the smell of salt in the air.

"That... that would be nice," I finally said.

Kushina smiled. "It would, wouldn't it?"

* * *

"Sorry we missed your birthday yesterday." It was lunch, and Itachi's sudden confession surprised me. Izumi looked slightly guilty next to her.

"Kushina-san invited us last week, but there was an important Uchiha ceremony we had to attend," explained Itachi.

" _Very_ important," Izumi nodded her head eagerly next to her.

"It's fine," I said. "I don't think my apartment had enough space for two more people anyway."

"Still, we got you a present!" Izumi said excitedly.

They did? Why? Izumi's birthday was a month ago, but I hadn't gotten _her_ anything. Not that I was invited, since it was an Uchiha-only ceremony.

"We're graduating next month," Itachi said. "I'll have my own Genin team and you'll be off doing... _whatever_ it is you're going to do."

"And I'll be stuck here in the Academy," Izumi huffed dejectedly.

"So we decided to give you a present," Itachi continued.

"So you won't forget us!" Izumi chimed in.

"I won't forget you," I said. "I have a very good memory."

Izumi slapped her palm to her forehead. "That's... not really what I meant."

"Here."

Itachi raised a clenched fist and dropped something into my hand.

It was a metal chain painted red, with a single black tomoe hanging off it. "A bracelet?" I asked.

Itachi nodded and pointed to her own wrist, where she wore an identical one that certainly hadn't been there before.

"We've got a matching set!" Izumi raised her hand to show me her own. "So combined, there are three of them, and we can form a complete Sharingan!"

Izumi was grinning wildly. Itachi's lips were curled into the smallest of smiles. Slowly, I put on the bracelet. The metal was cold, yet its contact made my body feel warm all over.

"It's nice," I told them. "Thank you."

"Yeah!" Izumi celebrated by punching her fist into the air. "Team Sharingan!"

* * *

"You sure look happy." Shikaku's lazy drawl pulled Minato away from the letter in his hands.

Still, he couldn't stop smiling. "I can't help it," he laughed sheepishly. "It's from Rin. She's found Tsunade, and she's gotten Shizune's approval to tag along with them for now."

"That is good news. Have you told the Hatake kid? My ANBU friends tell me he's been working himself to the bone lately," the Nara said.

Minato's smile finally dropped. Such was the life of the Hokage. One worry vanished and another immediately took its place. "I will let him know soon. Maybe it's time for him to take a break from ANBU. Or at least slow down the pace."

"They want to make him captain."

Now, Minato was frowning. "He's too young."

"He's too _good_ ," was the Nara's response.

"I will talk to the ANBU Commander about this," he sighed. "But you're not here to talk about Kakashi, are you?"

"No," Shikaku said. "I'm here to talk about the _other prodigy_."

"Which one?" asked Minato. "In case you haven't noticed, we have quite a few."

"Kagura."

"Ah." Minato nodded. "That one." _The most troublesome one_. "What about him?"

"He's _also_ too good."

"And is that a bad thing?"

"It might be," Shikaku said darkly. "Remember when you told all of us clan heads to treat him nicely and make him feel welcomed?"

Minato nodded. He had given strict instructions to treat Kagura as one of the village.

"He came to us for help. Wanted to learn about mental exercises to help him with his new technique."

And what a technique it was. Of course, Minato knew about this. "Yes, I am aware. Jiraiya-sensei told me about this. He's the one that recommended the Nara to him."

Shikaku looked surprise. "Jiraiya-sama? Kagura's got _two Sannin_ helping him?"

"It's temporary. Until Jiraiya-sensei leaves, or Orochimaru returns. But I gave the green light for Kagura's training, so what seems to be the problem?"

Shikaku dragged a chair to sit in front of his table. Minato let out a mental sigh. So it was going to take a while.

"We're teaching him mental partitioning. It's an exercise where you divide up your mind so each part can focus on a specific task."

"You mean like multi-tasking?" Minato asked.

Shikaku's eyebrow twitched. "It's way more than just _multi-tasking_ ," the Nara snorted. "Here, you try." The Nara slid an empty sheet of paper and two pens across the table. "Write any word with your right hand and draw any shape with your left."

Minato did as he was told. The result was a pair of unrecognizable squiggles that was neither language nor art. He looked to Shikaku, who was doing the same, and was stunned to see neat rows of words and a decent sketch of a tree on Shikaku's paper.

"Not easy, right?" a smug Shikaku asked.

"I can definitely see why Kagura would want to learn this," Minato said. Then he paused. "Since you're teaching him, can you teach me too? Think about how fast I can clear through all this paperwork if I can read two documents at the same time!" _The possibilities,_ he wondered in amazement.

"Hmph. You'll probably be retired by the time we get this done. It took me years to get to where I am now. You might be smart, but you're not _Kagura-smart_."

"Oh," Minato said rather disappointedly. "Wait, what did Kagura do?"

Shikaku pulled out several folded sheets of paper from his pocket. He unfolded one. "I gave him the same exercise. This is his first attempt." A triangle and Kagura's name was written on it. "Look how straight the lines are."

"So he's a natural," Minato shrugged. "What else did you think a prodigy would do? They're always full of surprises."

"I thought that too," grumbled Shikaku, "so I raised the difficulty level. I asked him to write two different sentences at the same time."

"He's ambidextrous?" Minato asked.

"He is _now_ ," Shikaku said wryly, placing another sheet of paper on the desk.

Two fully coherent sentences were written on it.

 _I am writing this because Nara Shikaku is the best ninja ever._

 _Konohagakure was founded by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara._

Minato raised a questioning eyebrow at Shikaku. "I chose the sentences." He coughed. "At first, at least. By the end of a week, he was churning out essays with both hands simultaneously."

Minato frowned. "How long have you been teaching him?"

"A month. And I'm already running out of exercises to give him."

"What are you making him do now?"

"He's playing three concurrent games of Shogi verbally. And he's _winning_ some of them."

Minato blinked in surprise. Kagura had only just turned seven, hadn't he? And Jiraiya said he'd learnt Shogi less than two months ago. And he was beating Naras already? Minato could count the number of times he'd beaten Shikaku in Shogi with one hand, which was already an achievement by itself.

"I asked him how he was doing it. He told me it was like creating Shadow Clones, only just in his mind and without a physical body."

"Well... isn't it?" Minato asked earnestly. That did seem to be a rather efficient way to categorize mental partitioning as a whole.

"It is," Shikaku said, rather put off, "but that's not the point. He's too good! Even for a prodigy! There's something wrong with his brain. Something about it that lets him fragment and weld his psyche at will."

"I know," Minato said. He'd always known. That was why he still kept tabs on Kagura, because the boy was a potential flight risk. But of course, he couldn't tell everybody about it.

"Then you should know the dangers! If he can partition his mind so cleanly, it also means that he can cleave it just as easily! Emotions, memories, _loyalties_! Minato, he's a-"

"Flight risk," Minato calmly completed Shikaku's sentence. He'd never seen the Nara so upset, except for that one time when Choza and Inoichi had nearly died. "I know. I've always known."

Shikaku was silent. He wanted an explanation, Minato knew. Shikaku was a smart man. He would've found out sooner or later.

"I've tried to hide it, but the risk is there. The Sandaime, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Kushina, and Inoichi all know about it. He's dangerous, but I'm not going to kill him for something he hasn't done yet."

"But why _train_ him?" Shikaku demanded. "Why not force him into a civilian life? Or keep him as a potential hostage exchange? Why equip him with more skills and weapons to stab us in the back with in the future?"

"We don't have a choice," Minato said gravely. "He _must_ be trained."

Shikaku's eyes narrowed. "Why? There's something else about him, isn't there?"

Minato refused to answer. This was a secret that had to be kept, even if Shikaku was his trusted friend.

"Wait." Shikaku lips pursed in concentration. "Why does _Kushina_ know?"

Silence on his part again.

"Oh my god," Shikaku suddenly stood up. "He's like her, isn't he? A Jinchuu-"

"Enough, Shikaku." Minato's voice had gone soft and stern, but his authority as Hokage was more than enough weight to silence the Nara. "This doesn't leave this room, understand?"

Shikaku nodded, and Minato's posture relaxed a bit. He trusted Shikaku, but he still wanted as few people to know about the Sanbi as possible.

"Minato. I never knew you as a gambling man," Shikaku sat back down, shaking his head. "This is _too_ _risky_."

"Maybe," Minato said, leaning back into his chair. "But I always play the long game."

His eyes flicked to the last folded sheet on the table Shikaku had brought. He picked it up and straightened it.

 _A study on the possible alliance of Konohagakure and Kirigakure including the benefits, risks, and possible terms of contract and implementation. By Karatachi Kagura._

He allowed himself to smile. _Looks like I'm not the only one_.

* * *

I stopped going to class the week the graduation exams were held.

The reason was simple, Orochimaru had returned.

"The Academy?" my mentor looked nearly repulsed. "I hope that waste of time didn't affect your training."

I shook my head. "I'm close to perfecting the Petal Star Jutsu," I told him.

He looked amused. "Really? I can't wait to see it then."

"Now?" I asked.

"No. Later. I have learnt and seen many things on my trip. I need to record and archive them."

I felt slightly happy at that. The more Jutsus and information Orochimaru picked up in his travels, the more I could learn.

"Sensei!" Anko's footsteps echoed down the staircase. "You're back!"

"Hello Anko. The snakes have informed me of your progress. I am quite pleased."

The snakes? I bit my lip. Anko was already learning the techniques of the Snakes. That could be quite difficult to deal with.

Anko blushed. Orochimaru was stingy with his praises. Case in point, he hadn't praised _me_ yet.

"I assume you've both improved greatly?" Orochimaru asked.

We both nodded.

"Next week, the two of you will fight. A real fight, with the intention to kill. Though I will personally oversee it to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Understood, Sensei."

* * *

"Both of you take this." Minato handed us a slip of paper each. It was a Hiraishin marker. "Just in case. Wouldn't want you dying in a mock battle," he laughed weakly.

I slipped it into my pocket the same time as Anko. Her usual admiration for Minato was gone. She was taking the fight seriously, and her strict demeanor confirmed it.

He wasn't the only observer. Jiraiya was here, too. So was Kushina, who was holding up a banner that read _'Go Kagura-chan!'_

"Why the audience?" I asked Orochimaru.

"They wanted to watch. And the Hokage would like to see your actual ability level, considering we can't use normal exams to judge you."

Anko was high-Chunin in terms of ability, wasn't she? This was going to be an uphill battle. Her learning curve might not have been as smooth as mine, but Anko was still very gifted compared to the average Shinobi.

We were in a secluded training field. It was outside of the village walls, away from prying eyes. Toad and snake summons were working in tandem to ensure nobody else was here.

The Hokage and his wife was here. Two of three Sannins. And all four of them were considered Sealing Masters. No expense spared for the village Jinchuuriki, it seemed.

"Are you both ready?" Orochimaru asked.

Anko nodded straight away.

I took a deep breath. Then I nodded as well.

"Go."

A flare of chakra followed by a faint burning sound.

Explosive tags.

My instincts screamed at me to move. It didn't matter where. Just anywhere but _here_.

A seal-less Shunshin later, the ground where I was standing on earlier was consumed by a giant fireball. I grimaced. Had Anko known in advance we would be using this training field?

I was still trying to recover from the sudden burst of speed when Anko's eyes locked on to me. A predatory grin spread across her lips. There was a ruslting sound behind me, and by the time I turned, twin white snakes emerged out of the bushes and were flying towards me.

I tilted my torso to avoid them, kunai already in my hands, before I swung my body to decapitate them. Her summons had been there the whole time. Of course. Anko had been Orochimaru's student far longer than I had. She would know where the Sannin liked to train.

My frown got deeper. I was going to have to assume Anko had made much more preparations than that.

"Hiding in the Mist Jutsu!" The handseals were completed under a second, and I sprayed a thick veil of mist out of my mouth that quickly filled the area. I put almost everything I had in the mist, leaving behind roughly only ten per cent of my chakra capacity.

Anko clicked her tongue. "If you stab yourself again, I'm going to make sure you actually die this time."

Anko knew I could do this. And she could smell me through the fog. She would definitely have counter-measures.

I had to move fast. I quickly made several water clones and instructed them to move randomly. Their only purpose was to throw off Anko so she couldn't find me immediately.

I leaped into the trees, hopping between them so Anko couldn't get a fix on my position and my scent.

And then I dispersed the mist.

Anko was standing exactly where I left her. Her hands were flashing through hand seals, but she stopped when she noticed the mist clearing.

It was probably a wind jutsu, one strong enough the clear the mist.

She stuck her tongue out, no doubt trying to find my scent. She frowned. Her hands became a blur, and a hailstorm of kunais flew out from where she stood. All of my clones disappeared immediately, and I had to hide behind the trunk of a tree to avoid being hit.

Finally, it was time for my counter-attack.

 _Swish._

Anko's head tilted at the very last moment, but a thin cut still appeared on her cheek. I could sense her confusion. She was looking down, where a single leaf jutted out from the dirt, its blade tinged red with her blood.

"What the-"

Her body twisted again as that same exact leaf launched out of the soil and threatened to cut her.

"Is that a _fucking leaf_?" shouted out Anko.

Her answer came when a whole tree's worth of leaves races towards her, leaving behind a wooden carcass.

 _Thirty thousand leaves_.

One month of training and meditation had done wonders in improving my control over the Petal Star Jutsu. My mind was split into dozens of fragments, and every single one of them was currently dedicated to controlling the leaves.

The mist, and all the chakra stored in its water, hadn't just vanished into thin air. It had all gone into the forest. Just because its name was Petal Star Jutsu didn't mean the technique was limited to petals. Any thin-enough, chakra-conducting material would suffice.

Like leaves.

And Konohagakure was the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Several forests' worth of leaves was at my disposal, and every single tree caught within my mist had turned into a weapon. There were about ten of them. Enough to cut through any regular army like they were made of paper.

I could only control one tree at a time, but that was more than enough to completely obliterate a human being.

Anko's eyes grew wide at the impending storm. She leaped back, her fingers racing through seals mid-air. She slammed her palm into the ground as she landed, and a mud wall rose from the ground to shield her.

The stream of leaves collided into her earthen wall. The air was filled with the endless staccato of leaves stabbing into hardened mud.

Anko was still hiding behind the wall, seemingly trying to understand this new development from her relatively safe position.

Keyword being 'relatively'.

With a single command, the flow of leaves diverged, and they split to go around the wall.

"Oh shit!" Taken by surprise, Anko had only a moment to react.

A moment was too short, and a few leaves embedded themselves into her forearms as she raised them up protectively.

Her scream of pain pierced through the air.

I resisted the urge to grin. I couldn't get complacent now, not when victory was within my grasp.

Her face contorted into an expression of agony as she forced her wounded hands into a seal. Suddenly, the ground below gave way and she disappeared underground.

I frowned. An Earth Jutsu: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. I didn't know Anko had learnt Earth manipulation already. Then again, it was a relatively easy technique to learn. That made what, three elements that Anko could use? It seemed like I wasn't the only one who'd been learning new tricks.

I landed on a branch and waited. I still had countless leaves I could use around me. Anko couldn't stay underground forever. She would run out of air eventually.

As if on cue, there was a rustling sound near me. Immediately, I sent a barrage of leaves towards its source. There was no movement after that. Gingerly, I walked towards it.

A clearing littered with kunai stuck into the ground. That was what my leaves had hit. I didn't understand. Had Anko thrown these? Then I remembered. Anko had booby-trapped the area, and this was probably one of them. But why? Why waste a trap if she didn't even know where I was?

Realization hit me the same time the burning smell did.

A distraction.

I turned around. The forest was on fire. I clenched my fist. Anko caught on fast. I couldn't use the leaves if they were all burnt to a crisp. The fire continued to spread. It was getting too big, and I couldn't use a water Jutsu to extinguish it. I mustered as many leaves as I could, salvaging them for later use.

I was angry. So much of my chakra had been wasted for nothing.

I pulled Kakashi's birthday present out of my pocket and wrapped it around my face, moistening it with some chakra-turned-to-water in the process.

Dying of smoke inhalation at this point would just be embarrassing.

Tree hopping was too dangerous. There was a raging inferno around me. I dropped back to the ground. The fire was chaotic, all over the place - Anko had probably spat a few fireballs in random directions. The moment I landed, a pair of snakes burst from the ground and wrapped around my legs.

In an instant my leaves swooped down, shredding them, but it gave Anko the opportunity she needed. Most of my leaves were still clustered in the air, and she leaped off a tree, her fingers forming a ring in front of her mouth.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

And a crimson wave of sweltering heat engulfed my last stockpile of leaves.

I scowled. I only had about a few hundred leaves left. My chakra levels were low, too.

Across me, Anko glared at me. She had managed to bandage her forearms, but blood was still seeping through the fabric. She walked with a limp, and there were still leaves jutting out of random parts of her body.

"You've been keeping secrets, Kagura-kouhai," she snarled.

"It's not a secret anymore," I responded. Well, there still were other secrets, but those were state-decreed and I couldn't do anything about it.

Then she was suddenly in front of me, her fist outstretched and aiming straight for my face.

Taijutsu. How I hated Taijutsu.

I leaned to the right to avoid the blow, but a snake shot out of her sleeve and curled towards my face. I had to sacrifice two dozen or so leaves to cut it in half.

A wave of pain erupted from my gut as Anko kneed my stomach. She immediately leaped back, narrowly avoiding a waterfall of leaves that would have amputated it. More ammunition wasted.

I stumbled forward, trying to stop myself from heaving on the spot.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

I cursed. Great invisible blades of air flew towards me. I dropped to the ground, but many of my leaves couldn't avoid it in time. For a few seconds, it rained leaf fragments. I was down into the double digits.

The silver lining was that with so few of them left, I could actually use the more complicated maneuvers. I needed to act fast, befire Anko took control of the rhythm of the fight. I sent a leaf straight towards her face, before sending another dozen to intercept whatever dodging path she could take.

She cursed as one of them lodged into her shoulder. When I tried it again, she was prepared, using a kunai to cut them down. That was fine; it had merely been a ploy to buy time for my next attack. The leaves were in position. She was now surrounded. Over sixty of them floated threateningly in the air, aimed at every inch of her body. She wouldn't be able to sink back into the ground in time, nor was she fast enough to cut them all down. And unless she knew a Earth Dome Jutsu, she was going to get hit in multiple places. Hopefully, one of them would be a debilitating attack.

Anko immediately realized the danger she was in. She crouched low. I sent the command to attack. Her hands flashed through the seals. At the last moment, she wiped some blood off her shoulder and smeared it on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Inky black marks spread out on the ground in a spiderweb-like manner from her palm.

A puff of smoke clouded my view, but I knew my leaves had hit _something_.

An angry hiss filled the air. A giant viper, as thick and long as a tree trunk, was wrapped around Anko. It was bleeding from multiple places. It hissed one more time, before disappearing with another puff of smoke, leaving behind Anko, who hadn't taken a single leaf in that attack.

My heart dropped. Now the only ammunition I had left were the dozen or so petals I always kept in my sleeve. Anko's grin turned maniacal.

She charged towards me. My fingers flipped through hand seals as I leaped backwards. I spat bullets made of water at her, but she expertly dodged them.

My chest was starting to hurt. Chakra exhaustion. I had invested nearly everything into the leaves, and it hadn't really paid off.

My hands gripped my kunai tightly when I realized that close quarters was my only option. And unlike last time, stabbing myself really wasn't an option here.

Her fist was suddenly right in front of my face. I swung one arm to deflect it, but a snake launched out of her sleeve, heading straight towards my neck. I was forced to use my other hand to stop it. The viper veered away at the last moment, changing it target from my jugular to my wrist. It's fangs clamped down hard, and I cried out in pain as it bit me. I tried yanking it free, but my hand was locked in place by the iron grip of Anko's summon.

Grinning, Anko used her free hand to punch me with so much force it could only be chakra-enhanced. I flew backwards and slammed into a tree.

That hurt.

A lot.

I stumbled forward, coughing out blood. I could tell my ribs had been fractured at the very least, and my spine was definitely not unscathed as well.

Anko stalked towards me.

I tried to move, but my body wouldn't listen. I still had the petals, but the pain was making it difficult to focus. They wouldn't be able to do anything but annoy her.

I needed more power. More strength. I needed more chakra. I could barely move, and casting any kind of Jutsu was simply out of question.

Chakra.

I needed it.

The world was starting to swirl before me as Anko's figure loomed closer.

She grabbed me by the shirt and lifted me up into the air.

"Yield?" she asked.

I glanced down and saw the kunai in her hand.

I needed more chakra.

I didn't care where it came from.

I needed more chakra.

Something in my belly tingled. Like a little tendril of energy was coming out of my belly button. I pulled on it.

I needed more chakra.

And I got it.

I didn't know where it came from but like a miracle, rough and primal chakra cascaded through my pathways. My mind felt clearer. My body felt lighter. Things suddenly didn't hurt so much.

Anko blinked. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

My response was a punch to her stomach.

It sent her skidding.

"Oh, you're going to get it now!"

She took one step forward and suddenly stopped. She looked down in bafflement, right where I punched.

I laughed. It was spreading across her body, immobilizing her. Something I hadn't seen since I was in Kiri. I didn't know what was happening either, but I knew it was helpful to me.

Coral.

Colorful and hardened pieces of coral was spreading across her limbs, locking her in place. Anko struggled against it, but to no avail. Soon, the only visible part of her was her face.

"Kagura! What the hell is this?"

It was the power of the sea. The trees of the ocean. Coral. Things were suddenly starting to turn red. The sky looked purple. It looked like it was autumn, with all the leaves having a crimson hue. It was quite pretty.

Orochimaru said that we were to fight with the intention to kill, didn't he? That he would intervene before things got to that point, right? Let's see just how fast he was.

I raised my hand up. A single petal shot out, aimed right between her eyes.

Anko's eyes widened in horror.

"I surrender!"

Foolish girl. There was no surrendering in a _real_ fight.

And then there was a yellow flash, and everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know your thoughts! Fav, follow and review! Still looking for my Beta, hint hint Oriks! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

From past precedence, I expected to regain consciousness in a hospital.

But this bed was too hard. And there was no air conditioning, it felt stuffy and hot.

My eyes peeled themselves opened. Dull, grey concrete welcomed me. My nose felt itchy, but when I tried to scratch it, my arm was shackled to the rail instead. So were my feet.

A holding cell. It'd been a long time since I was placed in one.

But why?

Concentrating, I tried to recall what happened.

I fought Anko. And at that last moment...

It was hazy. My body had felt like it was on autopilot. I could only remember brief glimpses.

Coral.

Red.

Yellow flash.

I gulped. The Sanbi. I had used the Sanbi's chakra, hadn't I? And I would have killed Anko with it, if Minato hadn't intervened in time.

Thank heavens.

No wonder they were keeping me here. A hospital was no place for a rampant Jinchuuriki.

I could feel slips of paper stuck throughout my body. I tried molding chakra, any amount of it, and found that I couldn't. Chakra suppression seals.

I turned my head, trying to get a better grasp of my temporary residence. It was sparsely decorated. The metal toilet near the door offered no privacy whatsoever. Besides that and the bed, the room was empty. I guessed they wanted as few potential weapons for prisoners as possible.

Ninjas were resourceful like that.

There was a knock on the door. It was Inoichi, and he walked in, a weak smile on his face.

"Kagura?"

With that one simple question, his worries became as clear as day. What he really meant was, _'am I talking to a seven-year-old boy? Or the prehistoric beast?'_

"It's me," I said. "The Sanbi is gone."

Inoichi, visibly relieved, nodded slowly. "That's good. I'll talk to the guards. See if we can return your possessions and get you released."

I looked down. I was in an orange jumpsuit.

"Thank you," I said.

Inoichi smiled and left.

* * *

Itachi's bracelet and Kushina's necklace were securely fastened around my wrist and neck respectively.

Anko's hair pin, however, was still in my palm, and my fingers traced along its cold metal edge. I unsheathed the blade hidden within it.

It wasn't really a blade. An ordinary hairpin was already quite narrow and sharp. This weapon was hidden within the confines of one. Instead, what I held in my hand resembled a needle or a senbon more than anything else. It was built for assassinations, precise strikes to vital areas, and not for direct combat.

Backstabbings and betrayals.

I nearly killed Anko. At that moment, I had every intention of doing so. Minato had stopped me. Minato, and not Orochimaru. I wondered what Orochimaru's reaction was at the point in time.

Whatever it was, he wasn't fast enough.

"How do you feel?" Inoichi asked across me.

We weren't in the cell anymore. But we were still in the TI complex, in a room designed more for 'questionings' than 'interrogations'.

"Guilty," I replied. All I could think about was that expression of realization on Anko's face when she realized I was going to kill her.

"Why?"

I wondered how much they told Inoichi. He hadn't been there. "Anko surrendered already. The match was supposed to be over. But I still went for a killing blow."

"But you won," Inoichi pointed out. "Aren't you happy about that?"

"By using the Sanbi's chakra. It doesn't count, since it wasn't really _me_ that forced her to yield."

"So you mean the Sanbi won?" Inoichi asked curiously.

"Yes."

He seemed to consider my words for a few, long seconds. "You know, as a Jinchuuriki, you'll have to learn to use the Sanbi's chakra sooner or later."

I nodded. I was well aware of that. "But not now. I was too weak against the Sanbi's influence. I might hurt the very people I'm trying to protect. I need to get stronger."

Inoichi seemed inordinately pleased at that. "Oh? And who are you trying to protect?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But it might happen someday."

"Ah. I suppose that's true." Why did it feel like I let him down?

"Are you going to do a mind-walk on me?" I asked.

Inoichi blinked. "I wasn't going to. Why? Do you want one?"

I nodded.

He looked surprised. "What for?"

"I want to be sure," I said. "I need to know that it was the Sanbi that wanted to hurt Anko, and not some depraved part of me that mentally severed our friendship because of a mock battle."

"That's a good reason," Inoichi chuckled. "I do not mind. Now?"

"Yes, please." _While the memories are still fresh_.

His hand reached out to touch my forehead. The familiar sensation of him crossing over into my mind was welcomed.

I could sense his surprise.

 _"This is new,"_ he remarked. _"Your mind. It's much more organized than before. It was always neat, but organization like this..."_

 _"I've been training with the Naras,"_ I told him.

 _"That explains it."_

With ease, he quickly found the memory. We watched it together, and I could tell Inoichi was meticulously dissecting every sensation and emotion I felt then.

He left my mind as soon as he was done.

"That was not pleasant," he made a face as he said. "The sheer intensity of malice embedded in a Bijuu's chakra... even if it was an indirect experience, it was quite disturbing."

"So it was the Sanbi?" I asked, hopeful.

"Not entirely," Inoichi said.

I could feel my face falling. So it _was_ partly my fault.

"Don't blame yourself," Inoichi said. "It's perfectly normal."

"What do you mean?"

The blond man scratched his chin. "Hm... you know how they say a mother's love is the most powerful force there is? How mothers would be willing to take a knife meant for their babies?"

I never knew anyone who ever actually said that, but for the sake of the conversation, I nodded anyway. It wasn't that hard of an idea to wrap my head around.

"Well despite that, any mother that's carrying her baby, regardless of how much she loves them, will have at least had this one thought once. _'I can kill my child if I dropped them right now.'_ It's a perfectly natural thought, even if most mothers will never actually consider that impulse. In fact, most feel ashamed by thinking it. But everybody does. Still, it's their love and their morals that stop them from actualizing that thought."

"So, it was completely natural for me to want to kill Anko," I stated.

Inoichi winced. "Um... I wouldn't use the words ' _completely natural_ ', but yes. Bijuu chakra contains a lot of primal negativity. Because of that, you lose your sense of self when using it. The inhibitors that stop your more... _impulsive_ thoughts, like love, morals, and logic, stop existing. As a result, you become more prone to acts of violence."

"So, there's nothing I can do about it?" I asked.

"Not right now, no." Inoichi said reassuringly. "But as time passes and you begin to practice and train with your Bijuu chakra, it's possible for you to acclimatize to the negativity that comes with the Sanbi's chakra, thus retaining your identity."

So it could be suppressed with training. That was good news.

"I see. What do the others think?" I asked. "Am I in trouble?" I gestured to the technical prison we were in.

Inoichi chuckled. "No. They just wanted to take precautions. They understand that as a Jinchuuriki, you will face these kinds of problems."

"What about Anko?" I asked in concern. "She doesn't know about the Sanbi. Does she blame me?"

"I..." Inoichi's smile faltered. "I wouldn't know. I was not informed of her state of well-being. I can't help you very much with this, I'm afraid."

"Thank you," I said softly, "for helping me this much already."

Inoichi stood up. "It's my pleasure to do so, Kagura," he said sincerely. Then he left.

* * *

I thought I could leave already, but there was a guard outside my door that told me one more person wanted to see me before I could. He was nice about it, but I was certain things would have gotten ugly if I didn't comply.

Orochimaru arrived nearly half an hour later.

Wordlessly, he slipped his way across me, into the chair where Inoichi was sitting earlier. He folded his arms and stared straight at me, never uttering a word.

"Are you angry at me?" I asked, after a minute of complete silence.

He tilted his head slightly, considering my question.

"No," he responded.

"Disappointed?"

His eyes flickered with silent mirth.

"No."

I paused. "Then why are you here?"

He clicked his tongue. "Minato told me to talk to you. He seemed quite shaken by your little display at the end. But I'm not quite sure what he wants me to talk to you about."

I cocked my head to the side. "What do _you_ want to talk about, Sensei?"

"Your performance against Anko."

An after-action-review. Standard, at least for Orochimaru.

"It was my loss. Anko outplayed me at almost every turn. If I didn't resort to using the Sanbi's chakra, I would have lost." It was true. I thought the Petal Star Jutsu was a game-changer. But I hadn't predicted Anko burrowing into the ground or burning the whole forest down. She had seen through its weaknesses in moments.

"Nevertheless," Orochimaru lips curled upwards, "you still won. Because you _did_ resort to using it and Anko _did_ still surrender at the last moment."

"But-"

"There will always be circumstances and variables you cannot control or predict. That is the kind of battles we ninjas fight. Sometimes victory boils down to sheer, dumb luck."

I frowned. Luck. It was always about luck, wasn't it?

"But you are correct. Strategically, it was Anko's complete victory. Do you want to know why?"

"She was more prepared," I said. She'd booby-trapped the place. And goodness knows how many other of Orochimaru's haunts she'd tinkered with as well.

Orochimaru nodded. "Yes. The key to victory is thorough preparation. In that one week before the battle, Anko did exactly that. She even learnt that one Earth Jutsu in case you attacked her with a Water one she couldn't dodge. Which you did. And she was prepared for it. You cannot expect to win just because you came up with an original technique that seems nigh-unbeatable. Every Jutsu has a weakness. That is an undeniable truth."

"Is that why you want to learn every Jutsu there is?" I asked him. "So that you'll have an endless amount of techniques for every situation?"

"Yes," Orochimaru said wryly, before adding, "speaking of which, I do expect you to teach me the Petal Star Jutsu soon."

I gave him a pointed look.

"What?" he asked, as though he made a perfectly reasonable request. "It's far from perfect, but it does have its uses. Don't worry, I'm not so classless to make it one of my primary techniques. I don't have the time to completely master it anyway. You should be happy though. I'm acknowledging that your little chakra exercise has become a full-fledged Jutsu."

I blinked. He was right. That was a small consolation that came out from this whole debacle. A Jutsu. I'd come up with a Jutsu by myself.

"What rank would you classify it as?" I asked.

"It depends, wouldn't it? On the volume and material of the medium you're using. It _does_ have the potential to reach S-rank though."

That was a compliment, wasn't it? Orochimaru complimented me.

"By the way, I just remembered. I have been given authority to tell Anko about the Sanbi," Orochimaru said casually.

I looked up in surprise.

"After what happened, it's only fair that Anko learns about the truth. But since the truth concerns you, Minato wants you to have the final say. Do you want me to tell her?"

I thought about it. Such information was dangerous, wasn't it? For both me and Anko. And there was always the possibility that... that Anko wouldn't look at me in the same light anymore.

"What happens if I say no?" I asked.

"I tell her you have a Bloodline Limit. Coral Release, or something like that. But doing that won't explain why you tried to kill her even after she admitted defeat. You'll have to come up with an explanation on your own."

Right. That was going to be an awkward conversation.

"Is she angry?" I asked. "That I tried to kill her?"

"Most people would be, wouldn't they?" Orochimaru chuckled. "But surprisingly, she is not. She seems more hurt, and upset. I believe she's afraid that you mean more to her than she means to you. It is not the first time she has been abandoned, if you remember what I told you about her father."

The guilt now weighed even heavier on my heart.

Lying to her would be the same as running away, wouldn't it? And considering how closely we trained, it was only a matter of time before she found out. What if it happened again? I didn't want to hurt her repeatedly if I didn't have to.

"Tell her," I said. "She should know. She almost died because of it."

"Very well," Orochimaru said. "For what it is worth, I believe you made the right choice. Anko has few people she can call her family. I do not believe her opinion of you will change because of something you had no control of."

"Sensei." I hesitated. I wasn't very sure how to bring up this topic.

"What? I don't have all day."

I thought about what Inoichi had said about Bijuu chakra. He said I could adapt to it through training, couldn't I?

"When can I start learning how to use the Sanbi's chakra?"

Orochimaru's only reaction was a single raised eyebrow. "The previous stand was until you reached ten years old. But after your display of skill, and the fact that you can already access its chakra, it might be taken under review again. I will ask for you."

"Do you think I'm ready?" I asked.

"I wouldn't know," Orochimaru admitted. "I'm not particularly knowledgeable or interested in Jinchuuriki matters. But I do know that many of them have special abilities that will no doubt prove useful for you. The earlier you master them, the better."

I nodded in agreement. The ability to create coral was something I looked forward to. And there had to be others as well, didn't there? I could hardly wait.

Even if it meant having to meet the Sanbi again.

* * *

Anko was in the training room next to Orochimaru's library.

She was flinging kunais and shurikens towards a target board. She was distracted. Her projectiles all hit the target, but her motions were too mechanical, too systemic, and lacked her distinctive flair within them.

"Anko."

A kunai missed the target, clattering towards the ground uselessly. She turned.

"Hi, Kagura-kouhai," she smiled. Her eyes were red.

"Did Sensei tell you yet?" I asked.

She dipped her head slightly. "He did."

"Sorry." My gaze dropped low. "For almost killing you."

"It's not your fault," she said. She walked over to me. Before I knew it, she pulled me in for a hug. My face was pressed against her chest, and I was reminded by the two lumps of flesh that Anko was a developing girl.

Puberty. Hormonal imbalances and physical changes. An emotional response was expected, I supposed.

She stooped down slightly, so that her lips were brushing against my ears. "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose, Kagura-kouhai."

My breath hitched. "Thanks, Anko-senpai."

"And I promise not to hurt you either," she whispered back.

* * *

It was several days later that the group Jiraiya-sensei had crudely, but aptly, named 'People who give a shit about Kagura' reassembled. The meeting was chaired by Minato, and consisted of Jiraiya-sensei, Orochimaru, Kushina, and Inoichi.

Minato frowned. This was fewer people than he would have liked.

Shikaku had rejected the offer to join, on the grounds that it only added more unwanted responsibilities to his plate.

He'd invited the Sandaime too, but Hiruzen had planned a holiday for himself and Biwako. He sighed, he wish he had the old man's wisdom and experience right now. No Shinobi ever _truly_ retired.

Given her current rate of growth, Anko could probably become Tokubetsu Jounin in the near future, and Minato was certain she would leap at the opportunity to join.

"We tried replicating the coral ability he displayed in the fight," Orochimaru began his report with his raspy but clinical voice, "but found that he was unable to."

"He needs the Sanbi's chakra to utilize it," Kushina explained. "He's too young. Their chakras haven't had enough time to mix for him to manifest it on his own."

"Which is why I'd like to propose that we start his Jinchuuriki training now. His technical competency is clearly at Chunin level, and he can already access the Bijuu's chakra. That's more than enough in terms of prerequisites," Orochimaru stated.

Minato had expected that. If not from Orochimaru, then from Kushina. His wife was nodding in agreement, though he suspected it was simply because Kushina wanted to spend more time with Kagura.

They hadn't told anybody yet, but they were going to start trying for a family, and it seemed Kagura had ignited Kushina's maternal instincts a little bit early.

"Orochimaru. He's _seven_." Jiraiya said, stunned. "A kid can't handle a Bijuu's chakra. He didn't even manifest a tail and he nearly killed Anko. We should wait."

Minato knew the devastating power a well-trained Jinchuuriki could have. B, the Hachibi Jinchuuriki, had been a most fascinating opponent to fight in the war. He wondered what age the eccentric Kumo-nin began _his_ training.

"I agree with Jiraiya-sama," Inoichi nodded. "Kagura is still traumatised by the Sanbi. Exposing him this early only increases the dangers and unpredictability."

It was two against two.

Minato felt his heart sink when he realized he was going to be the tiebreaker. Jiraiya was on one side, and Kushina was on the other.

He thought about what he'd seen from the fight. Anko was good - he would ask Orochimaru to recommend her in the next cycle of promotions, but Kagura's display had left everyone in awe.

The boy was only seven, he had to remind himself. But his Ninjutsu competency broached the boundaries of Jounin. His Taijutsu needed work, as did his battle sense, but those would come with age and experience.

He was younger than most Academy students, but had already devised a Jutsu capable of slaughtering a small village.

And to make things worse, he was a Jinchuuriki. Unlimited chakra coupled with unique abilities, combined with a prodigious mind. The implications were horrifying. He paused. Would he rather a child like that be in full control of his power? Or left untrained and untamed?

More simply put, did he _trust_ Kagura?

He found that he couldn't give an answer.

The others were waiting for his decision. Orochimaru was Kagura's teacher. And once his Jinchuuriki training began, so would Kushina. They both felt the boy was ready.

He might not trust Kagura, but he would always be willing to bet his money on them.

"We will train him," he finally decided. Jiriaya looked stunned. Inoichi's lips sunk in concern. "But only under the supervision of Kushina." His wife made an ecstatic noise.

Orochimaru seemed unbothered by the condition. On hindsight, he probably welcomed it. The Sannin could probably shelf his student to Kushina forever, and both he and Kushina would be fine with the arrangement.

But it was for the best. No one in the village was better at dealing with Bijuu then Kushina.

"Does that mean I can finally tell him about the Kyuubi?" Kushina asked excitedly.

Minato nodded. It would be good for Kagura at the very least, if he learnt that he was not alone in his plight.

* * *

"How is your Genin team?" I asked.

"Fine," Itachi said. "One of them is a noisy boy, the other is a quiet girl. Our Sensei seems quite knowledgeable. We've started doing D-ranks."

"Fun," I said, knowing full well about the nature of D-ranks.

Itachi scowled at me. It'd been a week since my eventful fight with Anko. We were in a forest near the Uchiha Clan compound, a clearing surrounded by trees with target boards pinned onto them. Every single one had one of Itachi's kunai stuck in the bulls-eye. "What about you?" Itachi asked. "What are you doing now?"

"Stuff," I said. "This and that. Training."

Itachi frowned. "I don't understand why you refuse to join the Shinobi ranks. Konoha needs your strength."

"No it doesn't," I said. "We're not at war." Because that was the only time when a Jinchuuriki _really_ mattered. In war.

Itachi looked confused. "But we still have missions. Job requests."

"Yes," I said, pretending to be very serious. "I'm certain D-ranks play an integral role to our national security."

Itachi looked nearly insulted. She averted her eyes from mine, and silence quickly descended in the forest.

Silence that was quickly capitalized by our third member.

"Is _no one_ going to ask me about my time in the Academy?" Izumi blurted out, sounding almost hurt that she'd been left out in the conversation so far.

I looked at her. "Did anything interesting happen there?"

She sighed glumly. "No," came her mute reply. "The Academy _sucks_."

"Maybe that's why we didn't ask you," I said.

Izumi made a face, poorly mimicking my words afterwards. "Bleh. So what, you're just being useless right now? Lazing around and doing whatever your sensei throws at you?"

"I made my own Jutsu," I told them casually.

Izumi blinked. "You're lying. Even Itachi-sama hasn't made her own Jutsu."

"I haven't tried," Itachi pointed out. "But can you show us?" she asked me, her voice rich in curiosity.

The petals shot out without a word, striking the nearest target board. Izumi's eyes grew as big as dinner plates. Itachi merely adopted a thoughtful expression. "So this is how you cut me all those weeks ago?"

I nodded. "It's still a work in progress. Too many weaknesses."

"Flammable. Low penetrative power. A Wind Jutsu could knock them away easily," she listed off. Yes, thank you Itachi. As if I didn't know all that already.

"Those are flower petals!" Izumi exclaimed. "You can't kill people with flowers! That's not nice at all!"

"That's not true," said Itachi as she walked over to the target board to inspect the petals up close. "I think it's really pretty."

* * *

Kushina was grinning widely.

So widely that I couldn't help but shudder. She had something planned, and any plan of Kushina's usually involved great deals of embarrassment or irritation on my part.

Orochimaru nudged me forward. "She's going to be training you from now on as well. Go on."

I looked at the Sannin fearfully. Was he really dumping me on Kushina? The red-haired Uzumaki was like chili. Fun and exciting only in small dosages. Orochimaru, sensing my reluctance, rolled his eyes. "Stop being a child. She's the only one that can teach you this."

I _was_ a child - I was still seven. But I was too busy mulling over his second sentence to bring that up. Something that Orochimaru couldn't teach, but Kushina could? My first thought was sealing. But Orochimaru was a sealing master as well, and teaching me the basics had to be within his capabilities.

I didn't understand, and it must have showed because Kushina walked up to me and knelt in front of me. She lifted up my shirt and pressed her hand to my belly. Her chakra flared, and the swirly black mess that was my seal appeared around my belly button.

"Three, meet Nine."

Before I could react, she lifted up her own blouse slightly, showing off her well-toned belly. And there too, was a seal that looked similar to mine.

I couldn't believe it.

All this time, Kushina had been a Jinchuuriki too.

* * *

"Kagura. Are you angry at me?" Kushina sounded worried. Maybe even hurt.

I tilted my head, wondering what brought on the sudden question. "No, why would I be angry?"

"I don't know, you haven't spoken a word since Orochimaru left. Is it because I kept the Kyuubi a secret from you?"

That was a silly reason, I felt. Jinchuuriki identities were national secrets. Obviously Kushina couldn't have told me, even if she wanted to, especially when one considered my shady background. But it also did explain her odd attachment to me. We were kindred spirits.

I shook my head. "I just have many questions, and I'm trying to sort through them."

"Oh." Kushina didn't sound convinced. "You can ask away. I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability, yeah!"

"Are you here to teach me how to use the Sanbi's chakra?" That was the biggest question in my mind. There was only one thing Kushina could teach me that Orochimaru couldn't.

She nodded excitedly. "That's right! We'll now have mandatory sessions at least once a week where I'll have you all to myself!" She started gushing at the mere thought of it.

That sounded... horrifying. "How well can you control the Kyuubi?" I asked. The Kyuubi was the strongest out of the nine, wasn't it? I didn't expect her to have full control of it.

"I can go up to five tails without losing control," she said, "but I don't like relying on that giant furball very much. I don't use his power unless I _absolutely_ have to. My Fuinjutsu's good enough, yeah!"

Maybe it was her confidence, or maybe it was because I'd seen her angry before. Whatever it was, I didn't doubt what she said at all.

Orochimaru had warned me about this as well. Relying solely on the Sanbi's power was stupid. There were ways to isolate Bijuu chakra from the Jinchuuriki's, and even methods to extract it out all together. The best ninja, as Orochimaru told me, was someone who had a plethora of skills and techniques to rely on. Someone like Orochimaru, now that I thought about it.

"So, what's our first lesson?" I asked, more than eager to start.

"Well, there are three stages in Jinchuuriki training," Kushina explained, adopting a serious demeanor all of a sudden. "Stage one is the establishment of the link between host and Bijuu. I heard from Minato and Inoichi that you've done this already?"

I nodded, and then recalled to her the events that happened a few months ago, back in that strange cavern and pond in my mind.

Kushina laughed when she heard it, probably the one reaction I'd expected the least. "The Sanbi didn't say anything to you at all? I guess it's just shy! When I first met the Kyuubi, it screamed and cursed at me for five whole minutes, yeah!"

I blinked. "Weren't you scared of it?" I asked.

"I was at first, but you know, you get used to your Bijuu with time. It's like... having a roommate? Except it's with your own body. Nowadays, whenever the Kyuubi screams at me, I scold it back. That stupid fox can't do anything from its seal."

The very notion of a human scolding a Bijuu was laughable. But then again this was Kushina, and if anybody could talk down to a behemoth the size of a mountain, it was probably her.

"What are the other two stages?" I asked, not wanting to stray from the topic too far.

"Stage two is getting used to your Bijuu's chakra. It's a painful and long process, and it's harder the more tails your Bijuu has. Yours only has three, so it won't take _that_ long. Once you've accomplished this, you'll be able to access Bijuu Mode Version Two at will."

"Bijuu Mode... Version Two?" I repeated. Was this some secret power from a cartoon?

"There are multiple basic forms a Jinchuuriki can take when using Bijuu chakra. Version One is when you start mixing high amounts of Bijuu chakra with your own. Version Two is when you exclusively use Bijuu chakra. Version Three is... well, when you take the form of the Bijuu itself. Most Jinchuuriki only make it to Version Two though. Only the Kumo Jinchuuriki have figured out how to do Version Three, which is the complete synchronization with their Bijuus, giving their Jinchuuriki the skills and the bodies of their Bijuus." Well, wasn't that just overpowered? I supposed that was why everybody was so scared of Bijuus and Jinchuurikis.

I sort of understood what she was saying, but it was difficult to actually visualize it. "Can... can you show me?" I asked.

We were in Orochimaru's underground training ground, so nobody could actually spy on us. Still, Kushina looked uneasy.

"I could, but... It won't be pretty, you get what I mean, yeah?"

"I can handle it," I told her determinedly.

"Okay. Here goes."

Kushina closed her eyes. Her mouth started to move, as if talking to herself. No, she was talking to the Kyuubi, I realized.

When she reopened them, they weren't their normal violet color anymore, but were now red and slit-like. Instinctively, I took a step back. Her appearance continued to grow more feral, her teeth elongating into fangs and her nails sharpening into claws.

Her presence suddenly became overbearing. The air felt thick, and breathing became difficult. Her skin turned red. No, it didn't. Her chakra levels had risen so much that they were leaking out her skin, and they bubbled out from the Tenketsu that dotted her body in red globules. Soon her body was covered by a translucent red layer. A lone red tail swished behind her, and a pair of elongated ears sprouted out from her head.

When she spoke, her voice sounded deeper, more throaty and hoarse. "This is Version One."

Her chakra levels continued to spike.

Two.

Three.

And on the fourth tail, everything changed. Kushina's chakra - no, the Kyuubi's chakra - grew so dense, that it became a material of its own. Kushina could no longer be seen, and a writhing crimson mass of pure energy stood in her place. Her face was gone, replaced by a humanoid one with only eyes that were white orbs and teeth that made a sinister grin. Breathing was now impossible. The sheer weight of her presence pressed against my lungs, and my chest muscles labored arduously simply to stop my body from collapsing on itself. I sunk to my knees.

"Version Two." It sounded guttural, like each word took significant effort to produce.

This was a Jinchuuriki. One not even close to her full potential.

And then all that chakra vanished, and a grinning Kushina stood right where the Kyuubi had been earlier.

"I'm back!" she said cheekily and waved at me.

I was too busy panting for air to give any kind of retort.

"Are you okay?" she asked, beginning to sound concerned. "I tried to rein in all the hatred, but..."

"That was horrible," I managed to gasp out. "I felt like I was going to die."

"What did you think Bijuu chakra was like? Rainbows and cuddles?"

I'd felt the Sanbi's pure chakra before, but that was from a distance. Being in close proximity to the strongest Bijuu in existence was a whole new level of terrifying.

"So? Do you think you can handle it?" Kushina asked, sounding doubtful. "If you're this scared of the chakra, I think it's better if we wait a little bit. We can work on a few exercise to help you-"

"No," I interrupted her. "I can do it. I'll make sure I can do it." It was silly for me to have been afraid. I knew it was Kushina in control, and yet I had let my instinctive fear take control of my body. Kushina would never hurt me, and yet I feared for my life. It was disgraceful, the ease with which I had given in to my primal emotions. I was better than this. The same applied for the Sanbi. It was sealed. Five different Sealing Masters had taken a look at it and agreed that it was sealed. And it would stay sealed, so I had no reason to fear it.

The Sanbi was only as powerful as I let it be.

"I like that face you've got on right now," Kushina smirked. "It shows you've got guts, yeah."

"Guts?" I asked. "You mean courage?"

"Nope. I mean guts."

I looked at Kushina blankly, trying to understand her words. Or word, actually. Guts. What did that even mean?

"The Bijuu keep the world in balance," Kushina said gravely. "But we Jinchuuriki hold the Bijuu in balance. We both drew the short straw. That's why we need guts, not courage. Courage is a one-time thing. But having guts lets us keep pushing forward, even when the path seems terrifying and difficult. That's guts."

I nodded in understanding. "You mean, like perseverance."

"Nope," Kushina said sagely as she shook her head. "I mean guts."

I blinked. Then I laughed.

Guts it was then.

* * *

Jiraiya was leaving the village. It was hardly a big deal, since as the apparent spy master of Konoha, most of his work was done out of the village walls. But still, Minato wanted a proper send-off, and gathered a few of us for a dinner.

It was free meat at a Akimichi barbecue, so who was I to say no?

Surprisingly, even Orochimaru had accepted his invitation. Perhaps the bond between Orochimaru and his teammates ran deeper than I initially thought.

"I'm thinking about writing another book during my travels," Jiraiya laughed. "I figured out what was wrong with my first one - there was no romance!"

"Really Sensei? I think it's perfect the way it is right now," Minato said.

"Not everyone's like you, Minato. Your taste is too old-fashioned! It's time to get on with the times, sex sells!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"So... erotica," Orochimaru concluded.

"Orochimaru... you know me so well! As expected of my teammate. That's right, I've decided to put my perversion to good use once and for all, and write books that men, women, but _not_ children, will all be able to enjoy!" Jiraiya's declaration was bold and shameless, and more than a few of the other patrons turned their head to look at our table in disgust.

"Perversion... to good use," Kakashi snorted. "Like that's even a real thing." He made a move to pour some beer into his cup, but a single glare from Kushina sent his arm reaching for water instead.

Her glare then redirected to Jiraiya. "You're going to write porn? You're one of the Sannin, have some better taste please !"

Jiraiya wasn't even fazed by Kushina's anger, a feat in itself. He turned to look at Orochimaru, "hey, did you hear about Tsunade's gambling debt?"

Orochimaru nodded his head as he sipped some tea. "Half a million Ryo, I heard. There's been quite a few bounties placed on her head. Those poor bounty hunters won't even know what hit them."

Jiraiya turned to Kushina, a smug look on his face. "So what were you saying about taste and Sannin?"

"Can you at least not talk about this in front of _children_?" grumbled Kushina, pointing at me. "Kagura-chan doesn't even know where babies come from."

I blinked. "What are you talking about. Of course I know about human reproduction and sexual inter-"

Kushina clamped my mouth shut with her palm, and smiled sweetly at me. "I said, you don't know anything about where babies come from, right Kagura- _chan_?"

Dumbly, I nodded, and Kushina released her hand from my mouth. Maybe I shouldn't even talk at all during the dinner. Just focus on the meat and the food. That sounded like a good idea.

Minato laughed nervously. "Well, you know Kushina, everybody has their hobbies. So what if Sensei's pastimes are a little... deviant?"

"If I catch you reading any of his pervy work, we're done okay?" Kushina warned Minato, who immediately gulped and nodded.

"Man, I'm going to miss Konoha. Especially the food. Ugh, I'll be stuck eating fish for the next few weeks," Jiraiya complained, helping himself to a large portion of beef.

My ears perked up at that comment. "You're going to Kiri?" I asked.

"Yeap," Jiraiya said while eating. "Did you leave anything behind that you want me to get for you? Or maybe pass a message to someone?"

I seriously thought about it for a while. But letting Yagura know I was still alive was bound to have major consequences. I shook my head. But still, I wanted to know what was going on there, especially since Kiri lost one of its Bijuu. The Sandaime was probably fuming with anger, and rage made people do all kinds of senseless things.

"Could you check up on my brother for me? Karatachi Yagura." I asked. At the very least, I wanted to know if he was still alive. It would be a shame if he died before I could settle things with him.

"Sure thing, kid," Jiraiya said so casually I didn't know if he was going to do it or not.

And then suddenly, Minato tensed, dropping his spoon onto the table.

"Minato? What's wrong?" Kushina asked worriedly.

"It's Rin," Minato said gravely. "She's thrown her kunai. Wait here everybody, I'm going to check it out."

Before he could Hiraishin away, Kakashi wrapped his fingers around Minato's arm. "Sensei, bring me with you."

The Yondaime Hokage hesitated for the briefest of moments. Then he nodded, and they vanished in a flash.

His absence left us with an awkward silence.

"Do we continue eating or..." I asked, pointing to the food that was - wastefully - getting cold.

Kushina smiled weakly. "Yes, we should keep eating, before all the food gets cold. They'll be fine. Minato has the Hiraishin after all."

"Mhmm," Jiraiya agreed while swallowing. "He'll just kill the bad guys and come back. Besides, Tsunade and Shizune are with that girl right? Shouldn't be too much trouble. He'll be back in a few moments, I guarantee you guys."

But Minato wasn't.

The tension was palpable. The food was all gone, and nothing could stop reminding us of the two empty seats on the table.

"He sure is taking a while," Kushina said worriedly.

"He should have brought us along," Jiraiya said. "All three of the Sannin plus the Yellow Flash? They wouldn't stand a chance."

"Maybe they aren't fighting," Orochimaru suggested. "That's why it is taking so long. It seems more logical to assume that. Perhaps they are merely talking. Maybe Tsunade wants to talk to Minato. That would certainly explain his prolonged absence."

"That's right!" Kushina said excitedly. "Maybe Tsunade wants to return to Konoha!"

"Ah, yes." Jiraiya seemed satisfied with Orochimaru's hypothesis. "That must be the case."

I frowned.

If it really was the case, why was everyone still looking so damned worried?

* * *

 **A/N: Oh no.**

 **Reviews are love, Follows are hugs, and Favs are kisses.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Announcement! I have a Beta for this story now! So let's all give Oriks a huge hand for his dedication!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12:**

Namikaze Minato knew exactly where he was the moment he landed. How could he not?

He remembered this field well. It was near Kusagakure, where the fighting between Konoha and Iwa had been the most tense during the war. At least, until he had arrived.

Five hundred Iwa-nin, slaughtered in seconds.

And now they were back. A whole squad of them surrounded him, in their signature red one-sleeved uniform and brown vests. Their faces contorted with anger and hatred at his sudden arrival. "Fuck!" one of them cursed. "It's the Yellow Flash! He actually came!"

Of course he had, one of his students was in danger. How could he not have?

"Sensei!"

Rin was in front of him, and Kakashi immediately dashed towards her. The grey-haired teen suddenly stopped and clenched his trembling fists when he saw the state that Rin was in.

Minato cursed silently. Had they arrived seconds later, it might have been only corpses greeting them. He didn't know what had happened, but Tsunade was incapacitated. She looked as if she hadn't aged a day, though she'd changed her hair—flowing pigtails instead of a ponytail. Yet he found her unrecognizable. Gone was her confident and raucous personality. In its place he saw a broken woman. Her legs were sprawled onto the ground, and all she seemed able to do was stare at her shaking hands. A panic attack, he realized. But just what could have traumatized the legendary healer to this extent?

Shizune was crouched in front of Tsunade protectively, a dozen senbon in both hands ready to be thrown at a moment's notice. Cuts littered her body, and scars from hastily-healed stab wounds lay where her clothes were torn. She would have looked fine if only her left shin wasn't snapped. A last stand?

But Rin...

Minato stopped the tears from rolling out of his eyes. Rin was smiling. She was the only one. Her teeth glowed white in his presence, but the rest of her body was stained red. It dripped onto the ground from her sleeve, little droplets of blood that simply couldn't explain the great crimson arcs that painted the ground she was standing on. Of course they couldn't explain it - Rin was a healer, and stopping blood flow was easy for her. Regenerating a lost limb, however, was not.

Her right sleeve was empty. Tattered cloth lay where her right arm should have been. Minato gulped. Then he looked down between his feet. Blood still streaming out from where it should have been joined to her shoulder, Rin's severed arm was lying there, her delicate fingers still gripping the kunai he'd given to her tightly.

"Rin." Kakashi's voice cracked.

Minato managed to stop the tears, but nothing could hold back his rage.

"Rin." He tried to keep his voice level, but his murderous intent still leaked through. "Who did this?"

Using her lone hand, she pointed at one of the Iwa-nin. The man in question smirked. "What are you going to do about it? There's twelve of us."

Minato frowned, contemplating the man's stupidity. He thought he'd demonstrated enough to Iwa already that numbers didn't matter when he was involved.

Then Kakashi lifted his forehead protector and vanished.

"Gurk."

The crackling sound of lightning roaring to life pierced the air and the Iwa-nin looked down, somewhat confused by the hand that impaled his chest. Kakashi withdrew his hand and the man tumbled to the ground, a gaping hole in his chest.

"Eleven," the teen said solemnly, Sharingan spinning.

The Iwa-nin immediately reacted, two of them rushing Kakashi as the rest got into a new formation.

Kakashi remained still, his Chidori still active. He knew there was no need to do anything. After all, Minato knew that his student always carried a Hiraishin kunai around.

A yellow flash later, both Iwa-nin slammed into the ground as a Rasengan drilled into their chests.

"Nine," Minato amended calmly.

"Damn it! Jinzo, now!"

Minato felt the earth shudder ever so slightly, and immediately he and Kakashi leaped to the air. But the Iwa-nin wasn't aiming for them.

A torso erupted from the ground, far away from the Hiraishin kunai, and spat _something_ towards Rin. In her surprised state, she was unable to dodge, and could only stare at the white dough-like material that was now plastered across her chest.

The newcomer turned to face Minato and grinned. "Ten."

Still in midair, Minato felt a heavy weight descend onto his chest. He recognized the man; Jinzo, a member of the Explosion Corps, and a wielder of the Explosion Release Bloodline Limit. They'd clashed many times in the war, and the man's ability to imbue his explosive chakra into materials with his saliva had cost many Konoha-nin their lives. The man could turn anything into a bomb.

And one such bomb was now attached to his student's chest.

"I'm not done yet!" Jinzo declared, and took a deep breath.

Minato tore himself from his thoughts as Jinzo spat out another bomb. Would it be aimed at Kakashi, who was still in the air with him? Or maybe even himself?

It was neither, and Jinzo's projectile flew straight towards Tsunade, who was still sitting motionlessly on the ground. Minato's eyes widened in horror. He was too far away, and there were no markers near enough for him to do anything about it.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune immediately got up, intending to use her body as a shield **,** and Minato saw her silent scream of pain as her broken leg supported her weight.

But Rin was faster and as she leaped into the air, it hit her square in the back.

Minato understood her logic. She'd already gotten one bomb, so a second one wouldn't hurt. Minato would have done the same in her position. A small amount of pride for his student arose in his chest. And then it was quashed by the realization that Rin had sealed her fate with that act.

He and Kakashi landed back on the ground, and Kakashi charged towards Jinzo with his Chidori. The man welcomed him with a fearless grin. Jinzo raised a lone hand and made a seal, which Minato knew would detonate the bombs when he flared his chakra.

Jinzo began to build up his chakra. The bombs on Rin's chest reacted, and Minato could _feel_ the spike in energy.

"KAT-"

And in that instant between the first and second syllables of the word, the gears in Minato's mind spun at unimaginable speeds. He was the fastest man alive, but being able to teleport was useless if his mind couldn't keep up with his body. The Hiraishin wasn't such a devastating Jutsu by itself. It was only because it was _him_ using it that it could cause so much carnage.

A single glance at an enemy base, and he would know where and how to strike in order to cripple it.

A single glimpse at a formation ahead of him, and he could calculate the most efficient path to annihilate them with his limited markers.

And now, a blink of an eye was all it took for him to assess the situation in front of him.

Nohara Rin would die. There was no escaping it. She had two bombs attached to her, and there was no way to disable both without killing her in the process with what little time they had left. He felt nothing at this revelation, simply because his emotions hadn't caught up yet.

The bombs would kill Tsunade and Shizune as well, considering their proximity with Rin.

So, with Rin's life no longer factored into the equation, Minato's primary concern was now saving the Sannin and her apprentice.

There was little he could do. He only had two markers in the area, one in front of Rin, and one in Kakashi's pouch. He wouldn't have time to whisk away both of them before the bombs exploded.

He did, however, have time to transport Rin away. He could Hiraishin her somewhere else and let the bombs explode before returning to the battle. This was not ideal. For one, the few, short moments he would be away from the battle were highly critical. And then there was the matter of collateral damage. He had many markers in remote areas—some even in the open ocean. But there was always a chance that some unfortunate soul was nearby. And lastly, Minato would rather keep Rin's body as intact as possible.

Which left the third and final option. His mind presented to him the options, and his heart, having finally caught up, balked at the abysmal choices in front of it. But there was no other way.

He felt sorry.

Sorry for Rin.

Sorry for himself.

Sorry for Kakashi.

His eyes met Rin's. It was faster than a blink, but it felt like an eternity to him. A whole silent conversation took place between the two, an exchange of emotions between teacher and student. From him, apology, pride, reluctance. From her, forgiveness, acceptance, and a sense of peace.

"-SU!"

Nothing happened. No, that wasn't right. _Something_ had happened, just not what Jinzo had been expecting.

No explosion. No bang. Not even a puff of smoke.

The only sound heard was a small feminine gasp as a lightning-coated hand tore through Rin's chest cavity, disabling both bombs simultaneously with its lightning natured chakra.

In that instant, Minato could see Kakashi's eyes widening in horror, and guilt and regret piled up in his heart. The Sharingan began to spin, and Minato could only wince when he remembered the Sharingan gave him photographic memory. Kakashi would remember Rin's dying face until his own time came.

"KATSU!" Jinzo tried again.

A sound pierced through the heavens, so loud and shrill that Minato was certain that even the gods could hear it. Only it wasn't the explosion Jinzo was hoping for. Instead, it was the sound of a boy who'd just killed his closest friend.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

* * *

Kakashi didn't understand.

He'd been aiming for Jinzo, and was just a few feet away from the revolting Iwa-nin, when all of a sudden he had found Rin's face only a few inches away from his own. His hand had pierced through something soft and warm, and he could feel the warm blood flowing across his forearm.

Why was Rin in front of him, when she hadn't been moments earlier? Why was she smiling, but crying at the same time? And why were her lips moving, but no words coming from them?

Her head slumped forwards, leaning against his shoulder.

"Not... not your... fault."

She was speaking. That meant she was alive, wasn't she? He gently set her down. Out of instinct, he pulled out his hand, which was sticking through her chest. Then the blood starting pooling out. He'd made a mistake, he should have left his hand there - it would have stopped the blood loss.

"Rin, hang in there," he said desperately, pulling out a roll of bandages from a med pack.

The girl didn't reply. That was good, Rin should be resting; she was in no condition to speak. They could talk about it when they got home.

He grabbed Rin's arm and put the roll in her hand. "Hold this, Rin. I'll patch this up."

The hand went limp and fell to the ground, the bandages rolling away.

"Rin." He turned. Why was she throwing the bandages away? A medic like her should have understood the importance of reducing blood loss. Maybe the wound had made her clumsy.

He looked at Rin. Rin didn't look back at him. Instead, she was looking at the night sky. She didn't blink once in the ten seconds Kakashi stared at her.

"Rin?" he asked. He was surprised to hear his voice wavering. Why was he doubting himself _now_? Rin needed help. He'd promised Obito, hadn't he? That he'd always protect Rin.

A heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder. He looked up, and sighed in relief when he realized it was Minato-sensei. He would know what to do.

"Kakashi." Minato's voice was cool, calm even. But his hand was shaking. "She's gone." He said it so simply, so directly, so _fucking honestly_ that Kakashi didn't know what he was talking about.

He was going to respond, but something made him look up.

An Iwa-nin was running towards them, a kunai in hand. Another three were already in the air behind Minato-sensei, weapons raised and pointed at him.

"Sensei!"

It took only a small twitch of the hand, and the blond man had a kunai flying towards the nearest man, who twisted his body in the air to avoid it.

And then Minato was gone, appearing behind him.

All three were dead before they even hit the ground.

The Iwa-nin that had been running skidded to a halt.

"Retreat!" he said to the rest. "We did what we came here to do already!"

Kakashi didn't understand. Why Rin?

* * *

Minato was facing a dilemma. Should he pursue the fleeing Iwa-nin? Or stay here? He looked down to where Kakashi was still kneeling in front of Rin's corpse.

From where she sat, healing her leg, Shizune glanced worryingly between the still-catatonic Tsunade and a grieving Kakashi.

He made up his mind. He would stay; he'd killed six of them already, and that was more than enough death for today. Kakashi needed him.

Rin needed him.

"Kakashi," Minato murmured, crouching next to him. "I'm sorry that you had to do it. Sorry that _I_ _made you_ do it."

Kakashi's eyes alternated between his bloody arm and the gaping hole in Rin's chest. "Why?" was all he could manage to say.

"The bombs would have left nothing behind. At least this way... we can say goodbye." Minato finally relaxed his guard, lifting the dam that had held back a roiling sea of emotions. And then the tears came pouring out.

It hurt so much. At last the logical part of his brain took a step back, and the feelings hit him full-force. Then the irrationality kicked in.

 _There should have been a better way, one where all three of us walk out with smiles on our faces._

 _Four, it should be four of us. Obito should have been with us._

They were wistful and bitter thoughts. They clouded his mind, impairing judgement and objectivity. But even if they were wrong, they were necessary. They were perfect thoughts meant for a perfect world, and they served to remind him what he fought for. For what Rin and Obito died for.

He reached out and closed Rin's eyelids. "Thank you Rin," he murmured, "for your service. You saved us all today." And she had. If Jinzo's bomb had hit Shizune or even Tsunade... there would have been additional deaths. It had to be done. Rin knew that. Minato knew that.

So why did it still hurt so much? Minato choked back his sobs.

Shizune hobbled over, putting an open hand in front of him. He gave her a thankful smile, which she returned painfully. From his pouch, he pulled out seven scrolls, giving her only six. He would do Rin's himself.

He unfurled the scroll, lifting Rin's lifeless and cold body onto it. He couldn't bear to stare at her any longer. Not with all the blood and the hole in her chest. They would take her home, get her cleaned up, and then they would have a proper farewell.

Kakashi tensed up. "She said 'not your fault'." The words came out in a barely audible whisper. "But it is. It was my Chidori. And your Hiraishin."

"Yes, it was." Minato replied. The situation had called for it, but Rin's blood was on his hands. "We weren't strong enough, weren't fast enough. If we were, things might have been different. But we weren't, and that's that."

Rin's body disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the character for 'human' appeared on the scroll. While waiting for Shizune to deal with the Iwa-nin, Minato made his way to Tsunade.

He knew Kakashi wanted to be alone. The stoic boy would never show his tears to others, and Minato could tell it was taking him everything he had to not cry.

"Tsunade-sama." He shook her shoulder, but the Senju didn't respond. Her whole body was trembling, And her gaze was still transfixed at her hands, where splotches of blood had dirtied them. The Sannin wasn't injured, so the blood could only be Shizune's.

Or Rin's.

Minato took a deep breath. It couldn't possibly be, could it? She was a medic—no, she was _THE_ medic.

He wiped the blood away from Tsunade's sight using his sleeve. The effect was immediate. The shaking diminished. Colour returned to her skin, making her look even more youthful for someone her age. Her eyes, previously locked onto her palms, began to blink in rapid succession as she regained awareness.

"Shi-Shizune?"

He couldn't believe it; the world's best medic was was afraid of _blood_ of all things. The very act of touching it had sent her into a panic attack. He couldn't imagine her reaction in the operating room.

She looked at Minato, and her expression soured. "It's you," she grumbled. "What's the Yondaime Hokage doing here?"

Minato blinked. Had she not been aware the whole time? "I just saved your life," he said frankly.

The woman looked nearly insulted. "Saved my life? What do you mea-" she interrupted herself, irritation giving way to shock.

"Shizune!" Tsunade suddenly stood up. "Your leg!" She swivelled her head wildly, trying to find her apprentice.

"Tsunade-sama, I'm fine. Minato-san saved us all." The woman walked into view, a bundle of scrolls in her arms.

Minato accepted them from Shizune as Tsunade sighed in relief. Her eyes darted around the area, and she paled at the many splotches of blood that stained the once-green field.

"The girl," Tsunade said, seemingly remembering something. "Where's Rin?"

Minato gulped, and the feelings he'd finally managed to repress threatened to erupt again.

A pained expression spread across Shizune's face, and the girl shook her head. "She took a bomb meant for you, Tsunade-sama. She's dead."

Tsunade frowned at his words, and then grimaced slightly when she saw Kakashi hunched over on the ground, his shoulders heaving up and down as the boy cried in silence. "I... see."

Minato watched her reaction carefully. Tsunade was putting up a cold front, but small tells gave away just how shaken she was. A twitch of a finger. The scrunching of her toes. Breathing that sounded slightly too forced. He was angry at her. She was a Sannin. She was supposed to have taken charge in the situation and protected Shizune and Rin, not the other way around. But he would keep his thoughts to himself for the moment.

"Tell me what happened," he demanded. He compartmentalized his grief. He would let it all out later, when he reached home and Kushina could be there to comfort him. Gods, he missed her already. He needed her. He just wanted to hug her and press his face into her bosom as he cried his heart out.

But he was the Hokage, and a incident of this nature could not be ignored in favor of a personal whim. Sometimes he hated it. But being the Hokage let him protect the people close to him. Or at least it was supposed to. He felt like banging his head against something. _Look how that turned out._

Iwa had crossed a line. The war had only just ended, but here they were, stirring up trouble again.

Shizune's frown ruined her pretty features. "I don't know. But they _knew_. They knew who we were. They knew where we were going. They even knew Tsunade-sama's fear of blood. I don't know how, but they _knew_ , and we walked right into their ambush."

"A spy?" he asked in disbelief. The notion of someone betraying Konoha for Iwa hurt him deeply. He trusted his people, the people he swore to protect. But if he discovered that someone had betrayed that trust... he would make death seem merciful.

Tsunade shook her head. Her old personality was returning, and the sharp mind of a Sannin was running through the possibilities. Better late than never, Minato supposed. "Not from Konoha. Nobody except Shizune knows about my... phobia. Not even Sarutobi-sensei. I didn't even tell Rin. I don't know how they found out. They must have been observing me for a while now." She clenched her fist. "I was careless. I should have sensed them."

"You should have _killed_ them." A furious Kakashi stormed up, jabbing a finger into Tsunade. The sheer audacity behind the act was the only thing that helped him get away with it. "While you were sitting there uselessly, Rin _died_ for you!"

"Who the _fuck_ is this kid?" Tsunade flared up, and Shizune had to hold her back.

Minato considered berating Kakashi for his outburst. Then he decided against it, because he felt like saying the exact same thing to the Sannin. "Hatake Kakashi. My student. So was Rin. They were Genin teammates."

Tsunade's surprise replaced her anger, obviously recognizing the name. "Sakumo's kid, huh."

Kakashi tensed up, and Minato hoped the Sannin wasn't tactless enough to elaborate on that topic.

"Kakashi. Activate your Jutsu," Tsunade ordered.

"Which one?"

"The lightning one."

"Why?" He sounded both mystified and defiant.

"Just _do it_."

Kakashi scowled beneath his mask. But he did it anyway. The Chidori screamed to life in his hand. Then all of a sudden, Kakashi paled and the Jutsu sputtered out. He started breathing deeply. "I... I... I saw Rin. And then I couldn't hold it anymore."

Minato felt a knot tying in his gut. This was bad.

Kakashi looked up and glared at Tsunade. "What did you _do_?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Nothing." Then she sighed morosely. "But if you don't want to end up like me, you should do something about it, fast. Talk to somebody to get over the trauma. Blow shit up to relieve the stress. Sit in bed and cry until there are no tears left. Whatever works for you."

Kakashi looked skeptical. Minato placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's right. There's nothing wrong with it. After what happened... it would be worse if you walked out of it mentally sound. We'll handle it together, okay?"

Kakashi nodded. "I want to go home."

 _So do I_ , Minato thought. But they weren't done yet.

"Senju Tsunade. I'm formally requesting that you return to Konoha."

Kakashi stiffened. Shizune looked shocked.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Then she crossed her arms. "Absolutely not. Don't you get it? I'm cursed. Everyone close to me _dies_. Except Shizune. But everybody else does. If you know what's good for the village, you'll ask me to stay away."

"Are you sure about that?" Minato asked. There was a certain finality and ruthlessness to his tone. Not enough for it to be considered a threat, but enough to suggest that there would be some consequence if she didn't agree.

Tsunade scoffed. "What are you going to do? _Charge_ me? Label me a missing-nin? You know how that'll make you look."

Minato shook his head. That was never his intention. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pressed something into it. "Then keep this safe until you do."

"Sensei, you can't-" Kakashi sounded betrayed.

"I promised her." And that shut him up.

Tsunade stared at the sealing scroll in her hand. She unfurled it, and nearly dropped it when she realized its contents. She jabbed a finger at the scroll—at Rin— and glared murderously at Minato.

"Are you serious? What the _fuck_ am I supposed to do with this?"

"I made a promise to her," Minato said. He sounded firm and final on the outside, but it took him every fiber of his being not to snatch Rin out from the Sannin's hand. Rin deserved better. "That I wouldn't bring her home until she brought you back to Konoha. That's why she died protecting you, you know. She believes in you, Tsunade."

Tsunade's eyes darkened, and she broke eye contact.

Minato knew it was a low blow. He'd lost a student today, maybe not one so close he would call her a daughter, but she was still family. So he would take whatever victories he could get.

"I wish she'd believed in someone else," the Sannin muttered. Then she sighed. "Come on, Shizune. We're going home."

* * *

Rin's wake took place the very next day. Orochimaru even gave me the day off to mourn.

I'd never been to a wake before. Anko, slightly somber, took me shopping in the morning for appropriate clothes, and I wondered what the significance of the color black was. Maybe because it was all-encompassing and inescapable; it was a color that absorbed all light, similar how death would claim all life someday.

"I'll wait for you back at the lab," Anko said gently. The wake was a public event, but Anko said she didn't know Rin enough to feel that her presence was warranted. I was slightly worried at being left alone. Minato would be there, I knew—he was the one who had invited me. So would Kushina and Kakashi. Jiraiya had left the village at around midnight, so he wouldn't. But I didn't know who else would be. There wouldn't be any family; Rin had let it slip during one of our conversations in the hospital that she was an orphan. If it ended up being only the four of us, it would have definitely been awkward, because those three knew Rin far longer and better than I did.

I was slightly relieved – and surprised – when it turned out not to be the case. There were dozens of people crowding about the training shed that had been converted to hold the wake. All of them were wearing black. Many were crying.

I recognized a few people as I joined the crowd. Some of them were fellow medics and nurses at the hospital. From their conversations, others were her patients. Some of her classmates from the Academy, or those who'd fought with her during the war, had taken time out of their training schedules to come as well.

I never realized that Rin had touched the lives of so many. Then again, with her cheerful and outgoing personality, it was little wonder that her death would have upset the people around her. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the people here had only crossed paths with her once. She did seem to always leave a positive mark on people's lives, even if they barely knew each other.

I spotted Minato easily enough. Bright locks of golden hair stood out in a sea of dark clothes. He, too, was wearing black, and it was the first time I'd seen him without his signature cloak. And where Minato was, I was bound to find Kushina and Kakashi. Their eyes were red, and their hands held crumpled pieces of tissues which they would bring up to their faces every once in a while.

I wondered if I should go up and say hi. They looked terrible. It was taken out of my control, however, when Kushina caught sight of me and immediately beckoned me to go over.

This was the first time I'd seen Minato and Kakashi since they disappeared in the middle of dinner. An ANBU had returned in their place, told us the disastrous news and then informed us to go home and tell no one about it until Minato made an official statement.

Until now, I still had no idea what happened. Nobody had told me anything, and I had even asked Orochimaru, who always seemed to know all kinds of things he shouldn't have. If he _did_ know, then he certainly hadn't felt the need to enlighten me, which was quite annoying since it had ruined what was supposed to be a happy dinner.

"Kagura-chan, you came!" Kushina smiled, and wrapped her arms around me tightly. Her clothes were damp, and I wondered just how many people's tears she had absorbed with her hugs.

Minato offered me a weak smile. Kakashi didn't even look up—his eyes were still glued to the coffin a few meters away. They must have felt the worst out of everyone. They were the ones that had been there, after all. They must have seen her die.

I wondered how Rin had died, actually. For there to have actually been a body left to display meant it had been a relatively clean kill, at the very least. Hopefully a painless one as well—she deserved that much.

"Are they okay?" I whispered to Kushina.

Her smile fell, reverting back to the despondent expression she must have been wearing the whole day. It felt odd seeing Kushina so down. Like seeing the Sun become extinguished. "No, they're not. But they'll get over it soon. At least, Minato will. Kakashi… I think he'll take a little longer. How about you, Kagura? Have you managed to see her yet?"

I shook my head. I didn't know how I felt. There'd been a hollow feeling within me since last night. Not quite pain, not quite acceptance. It wasn't denial either. Rin was _dead_ , whether I liked it or not.

Kushina grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the open coffin. There was a small crowd, but nobody stayed there for long. Many wailed and sobbed as they peeled themselves away. You could tell who were ninjas, and who weren't.

The civilians made a lot of noise. They screamed, they cried, they bawled.

The ninjas would cast long looks at the contents of the coffin, take a deep breath, and then walk away. The tears might fall, but that was the most emotion they showed.

There was an old lady who led a bunch of children to Rin. They were an odd bunch, all looking different enough to know they weren't family, at least not by blood. A little girl began to cry, and called—no begged—for her 'Rin-neesan' to wake up and read stories to her again.

The orphanage, I realized. Rin volunteered at the orphanage she was raised in, hadn't she? There was a choking sound next to me. I looked up, and Kushina was covering her mouth with one hand and the other hand, with the tissue, was wiping away fresh tears.

They quickly left, the distraught lady leading a parade of crying children. It was now my turn.

* * *

As I stood there, staring at Rin's face, I realized this was the closest I'd gotten to a dead body.

Orochimaru's experiments didn't count – they were rendered inhuman by the time he was done with them.

I'd seen Rin sleeping a few times. Back when I used to bounce in and out of the hospital under Orochimaru's hellish training. During her breaks, sometimes she'd come to my ward and fall asleep in the chair. Once, she'd even fallen asleep on my bed next to me.

Her naps never lasted very long.

 _This one will though_ , I thought as I looked at her. _This one will last forever._ The embalmer had done a good job. It really _did_ look like she was sleeping. The only thing missing was the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She even had a blanket covering everything neck-down to keep her warm.

I knew her body wouldn't be in an unharmed state. She wouldn't be here if it was. Still though, I was curious. What happened to her? I was tempted to lift up the sheet just to see. But that wouldn't be very respectful to her, would it?

"Say your goodbyes, Kagura-chan," Kushina whispered gently, pulling me into her side. She was whispering things to Rin, too soft for even me to hear. I supposed they were words for Rin, and Rin alone. As she spoke, she absent-mindedly began to rub my hair with her palm.

Exactly the way Rin did when she thought I was sleeping or unconscious in the hospital.

 _"Hey, Kagura-kun. Can I ask you a question?"_

 _I look up at her as I put a spoon full of pork slices into my mouth. I don't like talking while I eat, but seeing as to how Rin had sneaked me extra portions of meat, I nod instead._

 _"Why do you want to be a ninja?" she asks._

 _I stop eating. Why indeed?_

 _"I don't really think I have a choice," I say wryly. I am a Jinchuuriki after all, even if Rin doesn't know about it._

 _Rin doesn't look very pleased with that answer. "Sure you do. Everybody has a choice in what they do."_

 _That... is debatable, isn't it? But arguing with her isn't really something I have the energy for, not in the state Orochimaru left me in. I think about it. The Karatachi Clan, as few as its members are, comprised solely of ninjas. It was natural for Yagura and I to follow that path as well. I told her that._

 _"Yeah, okay. I get that. But what are you going to do with your ninja abilities? Don't you have a goal?"_

 _"To become strong," I say. Isn't that the whole point of training? To become stronger?_

 _Rin frowns. "That's not right. Power is how you achieve your goal. It shouldn't become your goal."_

 _I suppose she isn't wrong about that. I think about Anko, Orochimaru, and all the other ninjas I've met. What it is that seems to drive them. Anko is easy. Everything she did, she did to make Orochimaru proud. Orochimaru himself, however, seemed to treat his pursuit of ninjutsu as an intellectual curiosity._

 _"What about you Rin?" I ask. "Why did you become a Shinobi?"_

 _"Me?" Rin blushes slightly. "Well, I grew up in an orphanage, you see. Both my parents died in the previous war. I made friends there... but what I really wanted was a family. And I didn't want anybody else to feel that same loneliness and longing I did there. So I decided I would do whatever I can to protect others, so no other child will have to go through what I did. That's why I'm learning to be a medic!"_

 _I smile slightly at the sincerity behind her words. It's rare to find a Shinobi who wears their emotions on their sleeve, unafraid of showing off who they are. Most of them die fast, either in betrayal or in sacrifice. Someone like Rin wouldn't have lasted very long in Kiri._

 _"What do you think, Kagura?" She scratches her cheek in embarrassment. "Does that make sense?"_

 _I laugh. "I think that it is a good goal. You should keep chasing it." Fighting to protect. It really is a good goal._

 _Too bad it just isn't for me._

That wasn't the only flashback I got. Dozens of memories of the cheerful brown-haired medic lying in front of me assaulted my mind.

Rin feeding me that one time when both my hands were broken.

Rin waving goodbye every time I was discharged.

Rin popping her head in every now and then, just to make sure I was okay.

Rin tying me to the bed that one time she popped her head in and caught me trying to escape, and the scolding that came afterwards.

And then things started to hurt.

Because Rin wouldn't do any of these things anymore.

Rin wouldn't be doing _anything_ anymore.

Her brown hair was combed back, and the purple markings on her face had a fresh coat of paint applied. She would have looked beautiful, if only her hazel eyes were wide open and her lips were spread apart to show off her teeth.

I wouldn't hear her laugh anymore.

I wouldn't get to see her blush when she talked about Kakashi anymore.

I wanted to just curl into a ball and cry.

The tears were beginning to pool in my eyes. The pain became worse, taking on an almost physical form as I felt my chest constrict against itself.

I didn't like it. Not one bit. I hated feeling this way. I closed my eyes.

I thought about Rin. Dug up every single memory I had of her. Every single feeling I'd ever had of her. Thankfulness. Amusement. Sometimes even irritation. I piled them into one giant mess into my mind. And then I buried them. Buried them deep, in a mental bunker I would never reopen again. In time, I would forget where the bunker was, its location lost with the passage of time, and with it, my feelings of Rin too.

When I opened my eyes, I was staring at a stranger. Intellectually, I knew the corpse in front of me was Nohara Rin, the girl who'd nursed me back to health on more than one occasion. But I just couldn't bring myself to feel _anything_ about her death anymore.

Thousands of people died everyday.

Now, Nohara Rin was just one of them.

"Here, Kagura-chan."

I turned, and was surprised to see Kushina offering me a tissue.

I brought my finger to my cheek. A lone tear had somehow managed to roll down to my chin. I accepted the tissue and wiped it away.

"What's going to happen after this?" I asked Kushina.

"There'll be a cremation. All ninjas have their bodies burnt, unless there are special exceptions. But Rin isn't one of them." She looked down at Rin, her fingers trailing the fine mahogany that had been used to make the coffin. "It's horrible, isn't it?"

I let her words sink in, picturing the coffin slowly being pushed into a giant oven. Cremation wasn't as bad as it sounded. In Kiri, we threw our dead into the sea, where they would be swallowed by the tides, or by the marine life. At least this way, there was some part of them left, even if it was just ashes. But still, for the people who cared for her to watch it happen... I couldn't help but agree. I nodded. "It is."

"Goodbye, Nohara Rin," I whispered as I left.

Unlike Kushina, I never looked back.

* * *

A/N: Whelp, this whole chapter is basically a tribute to Rin, who got _really_ little screen time despite having such a huge impact on the storyline.

Anyway, as usual if you like the story it really encourages me when you fav/follow/review!

 **I'm trying to update every weekend now, but no promises!**

 **~Paulzies**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Big thanks to Oriks for his feedback and effort in shaping this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13:**

He was confused.

"I thought only the Yellow Flash could teleport! Who is this guy!?" someone shouted.

Nobody knew. He had appeared out of nowhere, quite literally, mumbling the word 'Rin' over and over again. That was the name of the student of the Yellow Flash they'd killed a few days back, wasn't it? Or at least, hadn't that been what the strange plant-like man said when he'd emerged from the ground to tell them about the loitering Leaf-nin nearly a month ago?

Senju Tsunade, the Sannin, and Nohara Rin, a student of the Yondaime Hokage. Perfect targets for Iwa to take revenge.

Was this _thing_ in front of them from Konoha then?

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jinzo sink into the ground. He gritted his teeth. He had to draw the enemy's attention and let Jinzo escape. This was vital information that had to get back to Iwa.

There was another teleporting Shinobi, and it wasn't the Yellow Flash. This one was white, with a spiral-like mask that only revealed one eye. He flung a volley of shuriken at it.

They passed right through it, embedding themselves in the tree trunk behind it with staccato-like _thunks_.

It turned to face him, and suddenly vanished in a swirl-like shimmer of the air.

 _Where did it go?_

And then pain erupted from his gut. He looked down, and a whole... _tree branch?_ was sticking out from his abdomen. He coughed up blood, and it sprayed all over the white mask that was suddenly in front of him.

The last thought the Iwa-nin had before he died was to wonder just what kind of weird Sharingan that was.

* * *

For a while, I didn't see Kushina or Minato. I didn't even bother trying to find Kakashi. From what I'd heard from Anko, he'd taken a long term mission out of the village.

They were still trying to get over Rin's death, and I couldn't blame them for it. They had seemed like one big, happy family before her death.

"Kagura!" Izumi waved to me excitedly when she saw me walking towards her and Itachi. "You don't have training today?"

I raised my right hand, which was in a cast. It was a minor fracture, a mistake on my part when I hadn't managed to dodge one of Orochimaru's attacks in time. With daily visits to the hospital and my faster-than-average healing, it would come off within a week or so. Until then, taijutsu training with Orochimaru was cancelled.

Thank goodness.

Itachi looked concerned. "Just what kind of training do you do to break your arm?"

"I fell," I lied.

Itachi looked skeptical, but Izumi bought it right away and promptly burst into laughter.

"You fell? PFFT! How are you going to be a ninja like that?"

Naturally, I ignored her.

"What about you, Itachi? No mission or training with the team today?" I asked. It'd been a while since I last saw her, actually.

Izumi immediately made a cutting gesture across her neck. _Shut up_ , she mouthed frantically.

Itachi's face darkened. Her shoulders sunk downwards and she looked away. "No," she said despondently. "One of my teammates died in a mission last week."

"Oh," I said blankly, not really knowing how to respond to that. "Sorry. Someone close to me died recently too."

Itachi sighed. "The medic, right? I heard about it. My father says the Hokage is furious. We nearly went to war with Iwa again."

Details about Rin's death had slowly leaked. Iwa-nin were involved, and Minato had brought back corpses to prove it.

"What happened in the end?" I asked. Besides Orochimaru, who'd told me stop sticking my nose into business that didn't concern me, I couldn't really go to anyone else for information. Especially since Kushina and Minato had basically disappeared.

"Iwagakure declared the ninja involved to be missing-nin. That way we can't actually hold the village responsible. They even sent us the corpse of the mastermind behind the attack." Itachi looked left and right, as if worried about eavesdroppers. "But they also removed his tongue before sending it, which apparently held some special ability."

I shuddered. That sounded disgusting.

But that was that, I supposed. The saga of Rin's death had finally come to a close. Hopefully Kushina would recover from her grief soon. I wanted to continue my Jinchuuriki training.

"Shogi?" I asked.

Itachi seemed to think about it. "Not now." Ever since I started beating her she always came up with excuses to avoid our games. "I have to leave soon. Father is training me with the Sharingan."

Izumi looked almost proud. "Isn't Itachi-sama amazing? She's one of the youngest to have awakened it!"

I wanted to ask when, but I held my tongue. It was obvious when. The death of a teammate would definitely have enough emotional impact to activate the Doujutsu. "Can I see it?" I asked.

Itachi closed her eyes. When she reopened them, they were red, and one eye had two tomoe while the other only had one. I guessed it was unreasonable to expect her to have a fully matured pair at her age. "It looks pretty," I told her honestly. I was entranced by them. The way they seemed to spin lured my entire being closer.

She blinked, and her eyes returned to normal. She looked slightly amused. "They're weapons, you know? Nothing more than a tool to help the Uchiha Clan maintain their superiority in battle."

Izumi seemed miffed at that. "Itachi-sama, you can't say things like that! As the future head of the Uchiha Clan, you have to take pride in the Sharingan. It's more than just a weapon, it's the hallmark of our clan!"

But Itachi was right in a way. The Sharingan would definitely make her a much more difficult opponent.

She seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. "Kagura. Would you like to come and train with me some time soon? I would like to see how you've improved since the Academy." Her offer was polite and curt, but she seemed almost nervous asking it.

I rolled my eyes. She just wanted to show off how much better she'd gotten with the Sharingan. Still, a challenge was a challenge, and I wouldn't refuse it just because she'd gotten a new toy. It wasn't like I'd been slacking off anyway. I'd learned new Jutsus, and my control over the Petal Star Jutsu had definitely improved since my bout with Anko.

Itachi wouldn't even know what hit her.

"Sure, next week?" I suggested.

Itachi nodded. "I'll let Father know. He will be pleased. I have to go now."

"Ugh. She's always training," Izumi complained when Itachi was gone. "But that's the future Uchiha Clan head, I guess. She has to get stronger for all of us."

I nodded, even though I really wasn't listening. I had a week to prepare, and if my match with Anko had taught me anything, it was that preparation was key.

I looked down at my fractured arm. It was going to hold back my training like this. I wondered if I could visit the hospital twice a day instead of once to speed up the mending process.

"Hey, Kagura, are you even listening to me?!"

* * *

"Sensei, are you busy?"

Orochimaru was _always_ busy. There was always something he was doing. He had his experiments, his books, and his weird little projects outside the village walls. Sometimes I wondered if there were days when he completely forgot he had two students.

Orochimaru looked up from the scroll he was reading. He seemed to consider the question. He put the scroll down. "What do you want?" he asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"How do you fight someone who has the Sharingan?"

The irritation turned to curiosity with a single blink. "You don't. You never fight someone with a Sharingan, not if you have a choice. Why?"

"Itachi asked me train with her next week. I'm fairly certain she wants me to fight her."

It was a testament to Itachi's talent that Orochimaru actually knew who I was talking about. "Next week? Why, that's more than enough time to cancel."

I frowned. That really wasn't the answer I was looking for. His hand reached out to his scroll again. "Sensei," I said impatiently. "I'm not going to cancel. And I'm sure you don't want me _losing_ to her."

He smirked. "My my, I wasn't aware you liked her _that_ much," he said wryly.

I crossed my arms and tapped my cast with my finger, not finding his comment funny in the slightest. "Sensei."

Orochimaru sighed. "Fine. Since you've made up your mind about this, I suppose I can't have you losing to some brat just because she has special eyes."

"Great, so what's the first step?"

Orochimaru pointed at my injured arm. "We heal that."

"That's going to take a few days," I pointed out. "I don't think we have enough time."

"Don't worry," Orochimaru said knowingly, "I have a friend coming over later."

I blinked. Orochimaru had friends?

* * *

The woman in front of me was surprisingly intimidating for someone considered to be the best medic in the world.

Somehow I got the feeling she'd rather break my other arm than heal my injured one.

Senju Tsunade towered over me, looking down at me with a sneer on her face. Then her eyes flicked to Orochimaru.

"Don't tell me you called me here just to fix _this_."

Orochimaru licked his lips in amusement. "No. I wanted your opinion on something. But I figured you would be able to help him heal faster than the hospital could."

"Who is this brat anyway? Did you pick up another Genin Team?"

"He's my apprentice," Orochimaru said casually.

Tsunade blinked. "Apprentice," she repeated slowly.

"That's right."

"You have an apprentice. You, who once said that teaching was a waste of your talent, took on an apprentice."

The corners of Orochimaru's lips tilted slightly upwards. "Actually, I have two. The other is a girl, but she's away on a mission. She looks up to you very much, by the way. You should meet her some time."

Tsunade turned back to face me. This time instead of scorn, there was pity and disbelief on her face. "I'm guessing he did that?" she asked, pointing to my cast.

I nodded. "I couldn't dodge his kick in time."

She glared at Orochimaru. He shrugged.

"Give me your hand," she ordered.

When I did, she formed a chakra scalpel and used it to slice open the cast. Then she began to feel for the fracture. Her touch was gentle and warm, but it still hurt when her finger pressed against my damaged ulna and I winced.

"Here?" Her fingers hovered above the spot where Orochimaru had kicked me.

"Yes."

Her hands glowed green with healing chakra, and instantly I felt a soothing relief on the injury. It felt exactly like what the medics in the hospital did, except Tsunade's treatment was at least ten times better. I could physically feel the my bone mending itself back together.

"So?" Tsunade, still healing me, redirected her gaze to Orochimaru. "What did you want to ask?"

Orochimaru took a seat across her, next to me. "I'm curious to know the effects when potent, concentrated foreign chakra invades our own chakra systems. I know you dabbled in the chakra circulatory system, so what can you tell me about it?"

Tsunade's eyebrows scrunched up together as she pondered over his words. "That would depend on the type of foreign chakra. Are you talking about a powerful genjutsu?"

"No." Orochimaru shook his head. "I was referring to Senjutsu."

That caught my attention, and judging by how she recoiled, Tsunade was surprised as well. What's Senjutsu? I wondered. I'd never heard of it before.

"Senjutsu... I never got the chance to study it before, so I don't know much about it. But isn't this something you should be asking Jiraiya?" Tsunade seemed genuinely interested now. "This is more his specialty than mine."

This Senjutsu had to be some kind of rare and mysterious ability, if both Orochimaru and Tsunade were unaware of its effects. And mysterious abilities were usually fairly powerful. I made a mental note to look into this in the future.

"I did ask him," Orochimaru said, sounding slightly annoyed. "He said it would turn the user into a stone toad if not absorbed properly."

"Well, there you go," Tsunade laughed, as if Jiraiya's words were perfectly reasonable. "You turn into a stone toad. Or in your case, maybe it's a snake?"

Toad... Snake... clearly Senjutsu had something to do with their summons. Perhaps it was some kind of ultimate Summoning technique. I wondered if Orochimaru would ever let me sign the snake contract. Since he had let Anko, he would probably let me too, wouldn't he?

Orochimaru sighed. "I can't learn Senjutsu from the snakes. My body's too unnatural to balance it, or so they say."

"HA! I knew it!" Tsunade said triumphantly. "I _told_ you all those experiments and modifications you kept doing to yourself would bite you in the ass one day."

Experiments? Modifications? So _that_ was how Orochimaru could extend his neck. And his arms. And why he seemed so flexible and durable. But clearly, those procedures had a trade off. I wondered if this Senjutsu was powerful enough that Orochimaru regretted it.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, lesson learnt. But it's too late to undo them. Back to the topic, what do you think will happen if I try to force chakra incompatible with my body through my chakra pathways?"

There was a sense of familiarity in the way they talked. It felt odd seeing Orochimaru interact with his Genin teammate. It was like seeing a new side of him. One not so cold and aloof.

"Well, at worst... you die," Tsunade said matter-of-factly. "But even in the best-case scenario there will definitely be damage to your chakra pathways. It's a bit like pouring acid into your blood vessels."

"Is there no way to mitigate it?" Orochimaru asked.

"There are. You could try using a few seals; hopefully they'll be able to filter out the harmful aspects of the foreign chakra. But still, it's not a guarantee. I would advise against it. You should just give up Orochimaru, you're strong enough even _without_ Senjutsu."

Orochimaru seemed to consider her words for a few moments. "Perhaps," was all he could say at the end of it.

Tsunade tapped my arm. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt anymore. "There, all fixed up," she said proudly. "Next time, be faster and don't get hit."

I stared at my arm in wonder. She'd healed a fracture in a matter of minutes.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"It was nothing," Tsunade scoffed. And for her, I guessed it really was.

She got up, and Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Leaving so soon?"

"I've been out of the village for nearly a decade, Orochimaru. There's a lot of things I have to do. Unless there's anything else you want to ask?"

My mentor shook his head.

Tsunade smiled and threw us a wave. "Then I'll be going first then. It was nice seeing you again, Orochimaru!"

As she left, I understood the implications of Tsunade's presence.

Huh, I guessed Rin's death hadn't been meaningless then. After all, she'd managed to bring Senju Tsunade back to Konoha.

* * *

"Kagura-kun!"

"Mikoto-san," I said. I turned, and was surprised when I saw her. "You look... _different_."

Years of interacting with Anko had almost removed the word ' _fat_ ' from my vocabulary. But Uchiha Mikoto had definitely ballooned up since the last I saw her.

She blushed, and her hands rubbed her bulging belly. "Did Itachi not tell you? I'm pregnant!" She sounded ecstatic, even if she looked tired.

"Congratulations," I said. "Itachi must be looking forward to it."

"She is!" Mikoto gushed. "Every night after dinner she puts her ear against me and waits for him to kick!"

"Him?" I asked.

"He _has_ to be a boy." Mikoto smiled gently, looking down at her pregnancy lump. "With how much of a fuss he's kicking up. Call it a mother's intuition." She winked.

There was a stamping sound from the staircase, and Itachi practically slid down the staircase in her ninja gear.

"Kagura. I'm ready. Let's go."

I looked at Mikoto, who was giggling. "Look at how excited she is. She's been asking her father for extra training just to prepare."

There was a small blush on Itachi's cheeks, and she tucked a stray lock of hair that had come loose behind her ear. "Bye Mom, we'll be at the clan training ground!" Then she tugged on my hand and pulled me away.

I was surprised by the strength she had. She was deceptively strong for a girl with such a lean physique. Or maybe it was just her excitement?

Was the Sharingan that amazing to fight with?

* * *

It was.

The Sharingan was downright ridiculous, I decided. Years of Taijutsu practice were rendered useless because Itachi could somehow see my every move in slow-motion and react accordingly. Her Taijutsu had always been marginally better than mine. Now she was unstoppable.

A very nasty bruise on my arm ensured that I wouldn't be trying that particular approach again.

 _"The Sharingan gives its user increased awareness and perception. You can expect Itachi to have inhuman reaction time. It will look like pre-cognition; as if she's accurately predicting your every move. So feints and combo attacks won't work very well."_

Orochimaru had already given me some idea of what to expect, but I hadn't really taken his words literally. On hindsight, that was my first mistake. My mentor wasn't the type of person to exaggerate or overestimate things.

Fighting Itachi on an even ground was impossible, especially since I couldn't even look at her eyes.

 _"Every moment you make eye contact is an opportunity for them to cast a genjutsu on you. Not all Uchihas can do this, especially since this girl's only just awakened her Sharingan, but you can never be too careful."_

For once, my lack of height was a good thing. My eye level only met her lips, so keeping her eyes out of my view range wasn't as hard as I initially thought it would be. It was still pretty annoying, though.

And from a few feet away, she was suddenly in front of me. A Shunshin? Impossible, it was far too fast, even if she could do it seal-lessly. There would have been a blur, or some kind of build-up.

Her fist was driving towards my cheek, and I molded my own chakra to prepare for a seal-less Shunshin to escape.

Her punch still connected, and I had to to take several steps backwards due to the momentum behind the blow before I could Shunshin away behind a tree.

I thought I was safe, but the whizzing sound of shuriken barreling towards me caused me to immediately duck. I was still disorientated from the Jutsu, and the sudden action nearly made me throw up.

I didn't know how Itachi did it, but her Shuriken seemed to break the laws of physics as they curved deeply in the air, going past the tree and swinging round before striking the part of the trunk I had been leaning against moments earlier.

This wasn't fair at all. Itachi could track my movements with her eyes, even when I was using the Shunshin. And there was the matter of her popping up all of a sudden and punching me. I still had no idea how she did _that_.

The Sharingan was causing this fight to become one-sided. I was going to have to neutralise it.

Which was exactly what I'd used my one week of preparation for. I emerged out of my hiding space, Orochimaru's words still ringing in my mind.

 _"Lastly, as long as you're going to perform any Jutsu, make sure it's seal-less, or at the very least, make sure you've cut down the number of seals greatly._ _With their ability to see every individual hand seal you make and how your chakra is molded, any talented Sharingan user can copy your Jutsu, assuming they know the elemental manipulation, if any."_

I jumped out from my hiding spot and faced Itachi, who was further away than I remembered.

Had she moved further back?

It didn't matter, the distance was beneficial to me. With a single hand seal, mist billowed out of my mouth, separating Itachi and me.

I'd practiced this technique the whole week. Cutting down the hand-seals for the Hiding in the Mist Jutsu was difficult. The initial sequence had almost two dozen hand seals. But it had to be done, on the off-chance Itachi knew water manipulation.

The Sharingan's ability to see chakra would be useless here. The mist was infused with my chakra already, so for Itachi, it would be like trying to see through a wall.

Preventing her from copying the technique was the cornerstone of this strategy. If she could replicate it... then she'd be able find me using _her own_ mist. From our conversations, I only knew she learnt fire manipulation. But as I had learnt with Anko, I wasn't going to make any assumptions and take any risks based on that.

The last thing I saw before the mist enshrouded us both was her lips dipping into a frown.

"This is a Kiri Jutsu." I could hear her suspicion. She was probably joining the dots in her mind already.

Her voice sounded far away, and that was how I knew something was wrong. Because according to the mist, Itachi was less than ten feet from me.

Genjutsu. One that altered my spatial perceptions. So that was how she'd managed to appear in front of me so fast, and why she looked and sounded so far away. But because she hadn't experienced the sensing ability of the Hiding in the Mist Jutsu, she couldn't replicate it in my mind.

But how? And when? I'd never looked into her eyes once. I didn't even know if her Sharingan was even _activated_.

I flared my chakra, artificially disrupting its flow and making it pulse erratically. There was a small shift in reality when the genjutsu broke, and Itachi's words sounded far closer than before.

"Why do you know a Kiri Jutsu?" Then she clicked her tongue. "So you found out about the Genjutsu." She sounded mildly annoyed.

"When?" I asked. "When did you cast your genjutsu on me?"

"When I grabbed your hand in my house."

I was stunned. The match hadn't even started then! "That's cheap," I grumbled. _Just like the Sharingan_.

"I would say that using another village's techniques is cheap, too," Itachi replied dryly. "You still haven't answered me."

"I'll tell you if you beat me," I said confidently. She wouldn't. The moment I got the mist up, victory was mine.

Because I had one more ace up my sleeve.

Or several, actually

A whole dozen of them.

Itachi yelped when something cut her, immediately jumping away from the source of the pain. The sound she made was almost... funny.

She began to run, trying to escape from her watery prison. But it wouldn't work, because the mist _moved_ _with her_. After developing the Petal Star Jutsu, controlling the mist to move was child's play.

As she ran, petals would burst out from the fog to slash her. Now that she was aware of them, she could dodge some of them.

Only some.

The number of cuts slowly increased. She always jerked away upon contact, so they were never too deep. That, and I didn't actually want to hurt her _too_ bad.

After nearly a year developing the Petal Star Jutsu, and months of training with the Nara, I could finally do it. I could finally perform the Petal Star Jutsu simultaneously with another Jutsu.

And what a terrifying combo these two made.

The petals broke through the mist with no warning. Unlike shurikens and kunai, my petals were silent and deadly. The metal projectiles were launched at high speeds, and the whizzing sound they made as they tore through the air often gave away their intention to strike.

That wasn't the case for my petals. They could slowly hover until they were dangerously close to their target, unseen and unheard, and accelerate at the last moment, making them nigh-undetectable.

Itachi was clearly having a very hard time. She was constantly leaping away, a kunai in her hand to swipe away whatever petals she could see.

There was a small gap in my attacks, and she immediately capitalized on it. She immediately flashed through the hand seals and a giant fireball exploded out of her mouth.

I could feel the heat from where I was, and my petals and the mist didn't stand a chance. All the water around her boiled away, and my petals fell uselessly to the ground, devoid of the chakra that had once animated them.

The area a few feet around her was completely devoid of water.

Except for the koi pond that was right by her feet, which was too big to boil in an instant. The koi pond which I was standing on right now. I smiled widely at her as I waved.

Her eyes widened, but it was too late. Everything from the start had been planned for this very moment, and my petals had driven her right where I wanted her to be.

The hand seals were already completed. I hadn't managed to learn this Jutsu in time for the fight with Anko, but I was more than confident of using it here.

Water surged up and enveloped her, trapping her in a sphere, with more than a few of the fishes inhabiting the pond accompanying her. For the first time since the spar began, I looked at her eyes. They were blood-red and spinning wildly.

The glare she gave me was downright terrifying. Or would have been, if she hadn't puffed up her cheeks at the last moment to hold more air in her body. Now it just looked hilarious.

"Water Prison Technique," I stated proudly.

* * *

Itachi was clearly upset.

Whether it was because she was now soaking wet, or because she'd lost, I didn't know.

"Hn," she grunted and looked away when I tried to smile at her.

It was probably both, I decided.

"She's sulking." Mikoto laughed as she put a plate of piping hot soup in front of me. "She doesn't do that very often."

"She doesn't lose very often," I remarked. I could feel my saliva building up. I simply hadn't been able to refuse Mikoto's offer to stay for dinner, not with how delicious her cooking was.

Mikoto bent down to whisper something in my ear. "She's been a bit down ever since her teammate was killed in front of her. But seeing you was the happiest I've seen her this whole week. So don't let it get to you, okay?"

I was a little surprised; I hadn't expected Itachi to be so sentimental. I nodded in response. I'd always thought she was like me. But I guessed she was more in tune with her emotions than I was.

"I'm home," someone said, sliding the door open. It was a man's voice, and he sounded tired.

Itachi looked apprehensive, so it had to be Fugaku.

The head of the Uchiha Clan shuffled into the room. His shoulders sagged, and Mikoto rushed forward. "Welcome back, dear." She nodded her head slightly towards us, and Fugaku looked up, blinking a few times as he registered my presence.

"Fugaku-san," I greeted him.

He straightened his back, trying to instill the image of an unshakeable clan head and not that of a tired father coming home from work. "Hello, Itachi, Kagura-kun. How did your training session go?"

"It went well," I said.

"Kagura's a spy from Kiri, Father. Arrest him," Itachi said. At seeing our gobsmacked expressions, she added, "please."

That was a wild leap in logic, wasn't it? But she wasn't actually wrong.

Fugaku raised his brow by the slightest of margins.

Amusement?

Surprise?

Anger?

I could never tell. Not with the Uchihas, anyway.

"I'm guessing you lost, Itachi."

"Hn." Itachi turned away. "Only because Kagura cheats. He uses techniques from the Hidden Mist. He knows _two_ of them. He's a spy. That's why he's so secretive about his background."

"That's a very serious accusation to make, Itachi," Fugaku said. "Kagura could go to jail for this, you know. Or maybe somewhere even worse. You won't be able to see him anymore."

Was Fugaku... playing along? I could see Mikoto trying to stifle her laughter.

There was a brief moment of hesitation on Itachi's face. Then she nodded. "For Konoha, it has to be done," she said very gravely.

Did Itachi just kill me off?

She was evidently waiting for _something_ , and when nothing happened, she frowned. "Father, why aren't you taking him away?"

Fugaku sat down to join us at the dinner table. He sighed deeply. "I've had a long day at the police headquarters. I want to eat a nice, hot meal before I go back. Wouldn't you agree, Kagura-kun?"

He sent a small smile my way, and I nodded in agreement, digging into Mikoto's tantalizing dinner.

And finally, Itachi realized there was a conspiracy going on against her. Reluctantly, she began to stick her chopsticks into her rice, never actually taking a bite.

"So Itachi, have you figured out why you lost?" Fugaku asked.

"Because Kagura knows the techniques of other villages," she mumbled unhappily.

I snorted. "The foreign ninjas you'll inevitably fight against one day will _all_ know Jutsus from other villages."

She glared at me. Then she sighed. "Because Kagura knew I was going to rely on the Sharingan and came up with a strategy to negate it."

Fugaku stopped eating and crossed his arms. Then he dipped his head in approval. "Good. The Sharingan is powerful, but it does not make you invincible. It does not protect you. Instead, _you_ must protect _it_."

Itachi nodded. "I understand, Father." Finally she began to eat.

The way Fugaku had spoken... had he _expected_ me to win?

* * *

"I will walk you out."

Those five words from Fugaku sent shivers up my spine. Itachi, who had been ready to do exactly that, stopped mid-stride and returned back to her seat.

"I'll see you soon, Kagura," she said.

The Uchiha clan compound was rather big, and Itachi's house was at the deepest area of it. The walk was long and for the first minute or so, it was entirely in silence. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and I asked Fugaku, "did you want me to win against Itachi?"

"Yes. But it doesn't matter, I knew you would win."

"What made you so sure?" I asked.

"Because she is in a Genin team. Her time is split between menial missions and team training. She has very little time to hone her own skills. Meanwhile, you spend your whole day improving your own abilities under Orochimaru's watchful eye. In an individual fight, it is obvious you will win."

"Why would you want her to lose?" I thought the Uchiha were a prideful bunch. Losing was a disgrace, wasn't it?

Fugaku shrugged. "She needs to lose every once in a while so she can realize where she has been complacent. I'd rather she lose to you in a private training session than out there, in the real world, where lives are at stake."

I couldn't tell if Fugaku was acting with concern in his mind, or a ruthless sense of practicality. It was quite unsettling.

"And she needs her friends," he said forlornly. "People she can call her equal. She is a natural leader, so she willingly bears the weight of those she thinks need protection. It is not bad, but..." he sighed. "It is not healthy either. At least, not if she does it alone."

So he wanted me to share it with her? Wasn't that a thankless job?

"So you have my thanks, for being such a good friend to Itachi. And I'm sure you have hers, as well."

I hesitated. "You're welcome, Fugaku-san."

* * *

Kushina had recovered. No, she hadn't just recovered; she looked happier than I'd ever seen her before. Which was kind of odd, because Rin died less than a month ago.

"Kagura-kunnnn," she cooed, "are you ready to continue our lessons?"

I couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive about her overly cheerful behavior. "Yes?" I stumbled out.

"Good! Where did we stop the last time, yeah?"

"You were going to teach me how to access my Bijuu chakra," I recalled.

"Right! That's a very important and dangerous part of the training," she said, nodding her head sagely. "But also the most unpredictable."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it depends solely on whether the Bijuu wants to give it to you. The only reason you managed to draw it out during your fight with Anko was because you were completely out of chakra, so your own body forced it out from the seal. But doing that puts your mind completely at the mercy of the Bijuu, so that option is really a last-resort. Otherwise, as you are now, you won't be able to even touch the Sanbi's chakra."

I frowned. "So... I have to talk to the Sanbi?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah!" She nodded her head excitedly. "You can try to talk it out of him! Or beat it out of him! Or maybe even bribe him! All kinds of methods can work!"

I narrowed my eyes. This _was_ important and dangerous, right? She'd said it herself. So why was she so happy and carefree about this?

"Kushina-neesan... why are you so happy?"

"I didn't tell you?" Kushina looked shocked. Then she broke out into the biggest smile I'd seen in my life. "I'm pregnant!"

* * *

 **A/N: Fav? Follow? Review? Pretty Please?**


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank Oriks for beta-ing so quickly!

* * *

Chapter 14:

I stared at the board, analyzing the arrangement of the pieces on it for the twentieth time, hoping I would see something I'd missed in the first nineteen. A path to victory, or even a means of escape—anything I could use to counter the trap I suddenly found myself in.

It wasn't an official loss yet, but that was nearly inevitable, given my current position.

I sighed. "How many moves ago did I fall into your trap?" I asked my opponent.

Shikaku yawned, stood up, and stretched his back. "Five," he said.

Even months later, I didn't hold a candle to the Nara clan head in Shogi. This game wasn't even part of my mental partitioning training; I was just annoyed that I hadn't beaten him even once.

"I lose," I said. Admitting defeat was always painful, but I genuinely saw no way out of it.

"I hate to brag, but I'm a bit of prodigy myself when it comes to Shogi." Shikaku grinned. "You've still got a long way ahead of you before you can beat me."

To make things worse, this particular loss had an audience.

Inoichi, who was sitting next to me, patted my back. "Don't feel too bad. You put up a good fight. You know, I think the only non-Nara people who've beaten him in Shogi before are the Sandaime and the Yondaime."

The Yamanaka had popped by for an impromptu visit in the middle of our game, and decided to see it to its end. It hadn't bothered me, since he kept quiet and did nothing but observe. To be honest, I completely forgot about him until he spoke. It was quite disconcerting really, how even with his bright blond hair and his large frame, he could blend into the background seamlessly whenever he wanted to.

And now that the game was officially over, Inoichi could finally begin what he came over to do initially.

Gossip.

I made my move to leave. The impending dribble-drabble wasn't something I was interested in. I had other things to do, and my deadlines had cut themselves short with recent events.

"Hey Shikaku, Tsunade-sama's back, did you know?" Inoichi began. "She's my patient."

Or maybe, I decided upon hearing that, I could stay for a little while longer. Why would Tsunade be Inoichi's patient? Wasn't she the best Iryo-nin there was already? And besides, Inoichi was a psychiatrist, so—oh. I suddenly remembered what I'd been told of Tsunade; how she'd lost her clan, her family, and her fiance in the short span of a single war. That one time I'd seen her, she had appeared remarkably calm and normal for someone with that kind of tragic history.

I supposed she just hid her demons well.

"Of course I know," Shikaku said. "I'm the Jounin Commander."

... He was?

"But I bet you don't know why she's my patient," Inoichi said smugly. "You won't believe it."

"Is that so?" Shikaku began to look interested, and leaned in. "Tell me then, and we shall see."

Yes, Inoichi. Tell him.

Inoichi shook his head and waggled his finger. "You know I can't. Doctor-patient confidentiality, and all that stuff."

Shikaku frowned. "I'm the Jounin Commander. Tsunade-sama is technically a Jounin. So therefore her problems are my problems. I have the right to know."

"I'm not sure it works that way." Inoichi laughed. It was clear he was irritating the Nara on purpose.

Shikaku folded his arms. "Now that I think about it, you are also a Jounin. As Jounin Commander, I command you to divulge the nature of your sessions with Senju Tsunade."

Really, Shikaku didn't have to resort to such a thing. It looked like all the information Inoichi was holding in was going to burst out at any moment. Obviously, he was dying to tell someone. Their little gossip sessions were fairly frequent, and more than a few of my training sessions had been interrupted because somebody saw or did something they shouldn't have.

There were secrets, like me being a Jinchuuriki or Kushina being pregnant, and then there were secrets, like who was having an affair, or who was getting promoted. They only discussed the latter types of course, but they discussed with such a fervor they might as well have been divulging national secrets.

"Well, you know how Tsunade-sama—" Inoichi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Then I realized the two adults were looking at me.

"Kagura-kun," Inoichi said politely. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? I'm sure Orochimaru-sama must be worried, you've been gone for so long."

No, he wasn't, I wanted to say. Orochimaru was never worried. But obviously he wanted me gone, so reluctantly, I stood up to leave. "Thank you for the game, Shikaku-san," I said.

The Nara barely paid me any attention, nodding his head distractedly as he waited for me to get out of earshot so Inoichi could begin his soliloquy concerning Tsunade.

I sighed; I really wanted to know about it too.

I wondered if people talked about me behind my back.

* * *

"And he was so cute!" Kushina chattered on excitedly. "You should've seen him, Minato! How he just sat there for a whole hour with that super serious expression, completely still! And you could, like, tell when he was getting angry and annoyed, yeah! He would scrunch up his little nose, grit his teeth, and clench his short, stubby fingers! It was adorable."

Minato let out a sigh, partly amused, partly exasperated. Really, this was his fault; he should have seen this coming when he'd asked Kushina for a comprehensive report on Kagura's Jinchuuriki training. He loved his wife deeply, but her tendency to go off-tangent, especially when giving reports to the Hokage (him), was an idiosyncrasy he tolerated more than appreciated.

"Yes, Kushina, I'm glad to hear that you two get along well enough." He smiled at her, and she grinned back happily. "So about his actual Jinchuuriki training, how much progress has he made?"

"Zero. Absolutely none at all," Kushina said, her dreamy expression still etched onto her face. Ever since they had found out Kushina was pregnant, she'd been stuck in a permanent state of bliss that had made some conversations quite awkward.

Well, Minato couldn't blame her. Not when he found himself feeling giddy at the mere thought of it. He was going to be a father!

Unfortunately, he was Hokage, and that meant he couldn't stay in the realm of happy thoughts all the time.

"Zero?" he asked quizzically. "But he's had five sessions with you already."

"Yep." Kushina nodded her head seriously. Then she broke out into a big smile again. "Zero."

For a brief moment, Minato wondered if Kushina had actually spent any time training Kagura at all, instead of just admiring his 'cuteness'. No, Kushina was professional... wasn't she?

"The Sanbi's just shy, you know?" Kushina said. "I talked to the Kyuubi about it. He didn't tell me anything useful, but I inferred from the," she made air-quotes with her fingers, "'he'll never get a word out from that stupid turtle,' that the Sanbi just isn't very prone to talking in the first place."

Minato nodded his head thoughtfully. So it seemed like the various Bijuu had their own individual personalities. He'd never interacted with one before, not in their unsealed states, though during the war he'd caught glimpses of their appearances with their Jinchuuriki as proxies. The only insights he had to their characters were second-hand, from Kushina, and she made it sound like every Bijuu was an arrogant, evil, and snarky monster bent on the eradication of the human race. The fact that they weren't was certainly food for thought.

"So, is there anything we can do about it?" Minato asked. "We don't have much time until your third trimester."

It was decided, by everyone, that Kushina's pregnancy would kept a secret among family and friends, and those in high-ranking positions in the security council. She would be vulnerable, and with the seal weakened, they couldn't afford to take any risks. Once the baby bump was undeniable, she would be taken to a secure and secret location until their child was born. Consequently, Kagura's training would take a pause for nearly 3 months.

"Nuh uh." Kushina shook her head. "It's all up to Kagura-chan to develop a relationship with the Sanbi."

Well, this was troublesome, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. There really was no reason to rush this actually, since Kagura wasn't even eight yet. He was thankful to the Sandaime for keeping the whole Jinchuuriki thing a secret from the elders. No doubt they would be hounding him for weekly updates if they knew, and Danzo... he shuddered. He didn't even want to think about what Danzo would do if the man ever got his hands on Kagura.

"How did you ever get the Kyuubi to share his chakra with you?" Minato asked curiously. From their conversations, it really didn't sound like the Nine-tailed Fox was the type to give out its power freely.

"I asked him. And then he said yes," Kushina said casually.

Minato blinked. "That's it?" That was... underwhelming, to say the least.

"Mhmm!" Kushina nodded her head rapidly.

"That doesn't sound... right," Minato said.

"Oh yeah, it definitely didn't back then," Kushina agreed. "But in the end it turns out he just wanted a shortcut out of my body so if I ever lose control, he can easily break out of the seal and kill us all," she continued jovially.

Slightly alarmed, Minato wondered just what it would take to break Kushina out of her pregnancy-induced state of euphoria.

"Don't worry though!" Kushina flexed her arm. "That stupid fox won't be getting the better of me, yeah!"

Minato smiled at her display. "Of course it won't." Nothing could beat down Kushina.

* * *

I frowned as I closed my eyes. It was almost midnight, but I still couldn't sleep.

This really wasn't working out. Five whole weeks of training, and not even an inch of progress. I'd been so used to seeing tangible results from my other types of training that hitting a roadblock like this was downright frustrating. It didn't help that I could only practice during my sessions with Kushina, which were only once or twice a week.

Things just weren't moving at the pace I wanted them to. The Sanbi was a giant mass of stubbornness.

When I reopened my eyes, I was in the cavern, standing on the ledge that overlooked the giant pool the Sanbi resided in. I wasn't supposed to be here since Kushina wasn't around, but honestly, at the rate this was going, her presence was going to be unnecessary, since all that ever happened was a big bunch of nothing.

This first time I'd done this intentionally, I had steeled myself. The Sanbi was still a terrifying beast capable of mass destruction, but I had strengthened my resolve then to appear before it again. According to Kushina, I had to reach some kind of agreement with the Sanbi to borrow its power and chakra at will, and I had shouted, quite politely, at the dimly-lit lake and asked if we could have a conversation.

The Sanbi had never showed.

Not for that session, nor any other session after it.

I wasn't going to be betting anything on this session either, but I wasn't going to just sit at home and do nothing.

I was scared of the Sanbi. It could crush me with nothing but the sheer mass of chakra it contained. But lately all I felt towards it was irritation.

I took a seat at the edge, my legs dangling in the air.

"Sanbi," I said loudly. "Are you going to show yourself today? Or are you going to just let me sit here all day like normal?"

Like I expected, there was no response, and the surface of the lake remained completely still.

The Sanbi was a patient creature. It had to be, since it had spent nearly a century sealed into one object or another. I almost felt sorry for it, and would have, if it had bothered to show up even once.

"I don't have any intention of dying any time soon, so you're going to be stuck with me for a while," I continued talking to an empty audience. But the Sanbi was listening—I was certain of it. "So we might as well get to know each other."

Still nothing.

I sighed. Our previous sessions had always ended up like this, with me just sitting on the ledge until Kushina shook me out of my trance. She encouraged me to talk to the Sanbi, so that's what I usually did. I would talk about everything; how my day went, my life in Kiri, everything I could think of. Eventually, I would run out of things to say, and the rest of the time would be spent in silence.

Not once did the Sanbi ever send some kind of reply.

Personally, I thought that the Sanbi just wanted nothing to do with me. Kushina said it was just shy, which I found ridiculous, because a beast the size of a small mountain couldn't possibly be shy. It probably knew that if it ignored me long enough, I would go away, which was usually the case.

Well, not today, I decided as I stood up. I wasn't going to wait for the Sanbi to find me. This time, I was going to find it.

I took a deep breath and jumped off the ledge.

* * *

There was a knock on the door, and Minato looked at the clock. It was late, and he didn't have any appointments for the rest of the day.

"Come in," he said, his eyes still scanning through a recent mission report.

The door creaked open and his secretary, a bespectacled middle-aged woman, poked her head through the gap. "Hokage-sama, Chunin Mitarashi Anko wishes to see you."

He looked up in surprise. Anko's head popped in underneath his secretary's, looking nervous as his eyes met hers.

"Let her in," he decided. If Anko had something she felt needed to be said to him at this hour, Minato wouldn't stop her.

The purple-haired girl shuffled her way in, and his secretary closed the door as she left.

"I don't bite," Minato said in amusement, noting how Anko seemed overly conscious of her every action as she made her way to the chair in front of him.

"Sorry Hokage-sama," the girl said as she sat down. "I'm just having second thoughts. Maybe I should have talked to Orochimaru-sensei first."

"Yes." Minato nodded in agreement. "You should have." Really, it wasn't like the Hokage had time to hear the grievances of every ninja under him. Anko's presence here was more of an exception, and only because he was just about done with today's paperwork. "But why didn't you?" he asked, slightly curious. Anko had a fairly good relationship with her teacher, though her teacher was Orochimaru, so it couldn't have been that good.

She looked embarrassed. "Well, because it concerns Kagura. And Rin."

Minato froze slightly at hearing that, but Anko, still too self-conscious to notice, continued talking.

"And Sensei didn't really know Rin all that well, and this is kind of an emotional issue, so I thought that Sensei wasn't really the best person to go to. But then I didn't know who else to go to, and then I remembered that you knew Rin and Kagura, but you're also the Hokage and I-"

"Okay Anko, I get it," Minato interrupted her softly, suppressing the slight ache that began to grow in his chest. "Yes, I think going to me about this was a better choice," he agreed. "So? What happened?"

"Something... happened at Rin's wake," Anko said, sounding unsure of herself.

Minato narrowed his eyes. He had been there, and nothing had seemed amiss.

"Not a physical event," Anko quickly corrected herself. "But something within Kagura. Something not right."

He leaned in, genuinely curious about Anko's observations. Did it involve the Sanbi?

"When I brought him to her wake, he was quite upset. He was more quiet than normal, and he seemed very reserved in his actions."

"That's... fairly normal. I'm sure I behaved the same way," confessed Minato. He didn't want to think about it, but he could confidently say that he'd become withdrawn during that period.

"No, that wasn't the weird part," Anko said as she shook her head. "It was after the wake."

"Was he behaving strangely?" Minato asked.

"That's the thing!" Anko suddenly exclaimed, "he wasn't! He was perfectly normal, behaving like Rin hadn't died at all. I thought he was hiding it, but that doesn't make sense, because he didn't hide it before the wake. And just yesterday, when I asked him whether he was still sad over Rin's death, do you know what he said to me?"

Minato could feel a frown already starting to form. A disturbing realization began to dawn upon him, but he still gestured for Anko to continue.

Anko swallowed and took a deep breath. "He said, 'no, Tsunade's return more than makes up for it. Konoha is stronger for it.'"

Minato clenched his fists. He didn't know how to react to those words. There was pain. There was anger. There was disappointment. But a small part of him felt deeply sympathetic for Kagura.

"And I got so angry, because Rin treated him like a little brother whenever he was in the hospital. How could he say such a thing? After all that she's done for him, he suddenly thinks of her as a stranger!"

Minato knew what was going on. Kagura had cut Rin out his life, at least from an emotional standpoint. He didn't like it, not one bit, but yet he couldn't blame the boy. Kagura was eight. He might have been a genius, but his heart was still that of a child's. Hadn't Kakashi been like this too? He knew no other way of coping with pain except by eradicating the source.

"And when I tried to scold him about it and remind him just how nice Rin had been to him, he just looked really detached and apathetic, and I think... I think that Kagura really has stopped caring about Rin, at least ever since the wake. That's why I think something must have happened, and since you were there..." she trailed off, looking up to him, probably hoping for some kind of explanation.

Minato forced himself to smile at Anko. It took a lot of effort, but he hoped it looked sincere. "Thank you, Anko. For letting me know about this."

Anko blushed, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Ah, it's no problem at all, Hokage-sama! I... I was only just looking out for my dear Kouhai. Actually, I should be thanking you, for listening to me." Then her face turned slightly serious again. "But... is this something we should worry about?"

"I am aware of this... habit of his. You don't have to worry, Anko. Kagura will not get into any trouble and hopefully, he won't be causing any either," Minato reassured her.

The girl seemed to take it as a dismissal, getting up and bowing to him. Minato waved as she left, but she suddenly stopped at the door.

"Hokage-sama." Anko sounded worried. Scared, even. "Will... will Kagura ever do that to me?"

Minato gave her a smile. An honest one, this time. "If he does, I promise you that Orochimaru and I will kick his ass."

* * *

An annoying trait of human beings was that we only realized our mistakes when it was already too late.

Like now; I was plummeting towards the Sanbi's pool with no means of stopping.

On hindsight, something as reckless and stupid as this was exactly the kind of thing I should have been doing in front of Kushina. It wasn't something I should be doing in a unsupervised location like my home—my home, which was situated in the heart of Konoha, where a good proportion of the population resided.

This wasn't good. It was night time, and most people would be asleep, unaware and unprepared if a sudden crisis occurred.

A sudden crisis like a Bijuu suddenly becoming unleashed.

This wasn't good at all, I concluded.

And then I hit the water.

That's when I realized my second mistake.

This wasn't water at all.

My whole body burned in agony, and a barrage of bubbles erupted from my mouth as I let out a silent scream. It wasn't exactly hot, but I could feel my skin peeling off from touching whatever this substance was. I tried to paddle up to the surface, but something wasn't right. It was too thick, too viscous, and it hugged me tightly, refusing to let me go. It was like being stuck in a jar of honey. I could feel myself sinking in deeper as I struggled.

I couldn't breathe—I had let out all the air in my body with my earlier scream, and I was quickly running out of oxygen.

My vision became hazy as pain and fatigue began to overwhelm me. I could see my arms in front of me. The healthy pink layer of skin was gone, revealing a bloody mess of muscle and flesh. Even though my body was disintegrating at an alarming rate, my mind still raced to understand the sudden turn of events I found myself in.

This was chakra, I realized. This was the Sanbi's chakra, the energy and lifeblood of a Bijuu. No wonder my body couldn't handle it; it was like trying to touch acid.

Jumping in here had been a terrible mistake. By crossing the threshold into the lake... I was now in the Sanbi's domain. I had delivered myself, its captor, to it on a silver platter. All it needed to do was kill me, or even do nothing at all, and once my psyche was destroyed, the Sanbi would have free reign.

It could destroy Konoha.

So this was it. This was how I was going to die. Not at the hands of an enemy. Not by old age or illness. My demise would come because I acted on a momentary impulse and made a stupid decision.

How utterly shameful.

Anko would probably throw a fit—This was way worse than stabbing myself—but she'd probably be more sad than angry.

Kushina would be heartbroken. It could even affect the pregnancy.

Minato, as Hokage, would have to deal with the aftermath of the Sanbi's release. He'd have to clean up my mess.

Orochimaru would probably just scoff and shake his head, muttering something about me being an idiot of an apprentice.

Then there was Itachi. How would Itachi react, I wondered? She'd probably just accept it and move on.

However, all these postulations were useless if they died in the Sanbi's inevitable rampage. It was a Bijuu, and they were mere humans. There would be little they could do.

Many people would die. I would die.

Terrible, terrible things were going to happen because I messed up. I didn't want them to.

The water in front of my began to bubble, and a white wall blocked my vision for a few seconds. It quickly dissipated.

I would have screamed, or at least gasped, if I had any air left in me.

I'd never seen the Sanbi up close before. It was right in front of me, and I was certain I could touch it if I reached out.

Not that I was going to try.

It was huge, bigger than I remembered it to be. Its body was heavily armored with gray bony plates, and spikes jutted out of them randomly. Pinkish-red flesh leaked through the small chinks in its joints. Its meat looked firm and hard, and I knew the behemoth in front of me packed as much power in its muscles as it did in chakra.

Its face was surprisingly human-like, though it was armored as well, barring the lone eye it seemed to reveal. It even had a nose.

This was the Sanbi, the scourge of the seas that had plagued Water Country with tidal waves and storms for centuries before it was sealed. And now it was in front of me. And soon, it would be set loose in the middle of Konoha.

I didn't feel scared. It wouldn't help, not in a situation like this. Everything felt too surreal, and I was in too much pain to actually comprehend if the Bijuu was exuding any bloodlust at all.

My lungs felt tight. I was losing feeling in my limbs, drowning in the pool of a Bijuu's chakra. I hadn't heard of anybody dying this way before. Maybe I was the first. I wanted to laugh. After everything I went through, that was my sole accomplishment. Except maybe the Petal Star Jutsu, but since I hadn't taught it to Orochimaru yet, it would die with me, and I would leave no legacy behind.

Konoha might be destroyed, but I didn't want to count that, since it would technically be the Sanbi's doing.

A sense of emptiness overcame me as I finally came to terms with the end. There were a lot of things I'd never gotten to figure out or understand. But at least there was one goal I had managed to achieve.

I stared at the Sanbi defiantly. After so many tries, I'd finally made real contact with it.

Oh. what the hell; if I was going to die now, I might as well actually give it a try.

I reached out to touch it, though I never found out if I succeeded because I lost consciousness right before contact.

* * *

A/N: It's a rather short chapter, but personally I like where it ended. You guys probably don't, though. Oh well, cliffhangers ftw.

 **Read. Fav. Follow. Review! 4 steps to greatness!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Yo dudes and dudettes, I took a break for a bit, well... because I can. Anyway next chapt! Should be weekly updates again for the foreseeable future!**

 **Shoutout to Oriks for his fantastic help with the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15:**

Kushina tapped her feet rapidly and let out an impatient huff.

Kagura was late. And she'd even put off brunch with Mikoto to help him with his training. She was worried about the pregnancy and the effects it would have on her body. When she'd told her best friend, who was pregnant with a second child of her own, Mikoto had been more than happy to talk about her own experience.

Her stomach growled in complaint. They could have been eating ramen now, though Kushina was certain it would take a lot of pestering before Mikoto would concede and consider the noodle-filled broth as 'brunch food'.

Hunger turned to worry as a thought hit Kushina; maybe something had happened to Kagura. Something heinous. Something sinister. Something that would put his cute and adorable features to harm.

Suppressed memories returned to haunt her. Bound and gagged, slumped over an unnamed Kumo-nin's shoulder as they sped through the forest under the cover of darkness. Kagura was a Jinchuuriki as well; abduction was more than a possibility.

She remembered where he lived. She should go there now and make sure he was okay. Or maybe he was in Orochimaru's lair. It didn't matter where he was actually; she had to make sure he was safe. Then she would scold him for making her wait and travel around so much.

A flare of chakra nearby stopped her from doing just that.

The cause of her concerns arrived in a Shunshin, panting heavily as sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

Kagura looked exhausted, and kind of pale. He made an odd expression, and she stepped closer see if he was okay.

Her quick ninja reflexes were the only thing that stopped Kagura from vomiting all over her feet as she stepped back immediately.

She frowned. Had he Shunshin-ed himself all the way here from his home? It was a rather large distance, and the body-flickering technique wasn't designed for long distance travel.

Then she smacked him on his head lightly. "Oi Kagura-chan! Give some warning if you're gonna puke, yeah! These are new shoes!"

It took a few moments for the boy to regain his composure. She found it absolutely adorable. First he straightened his back and puffed out his chest. Then he wiped the flecks of vomit and spit away from his mouth. And finally, when he found himself to be presentable, he looked her straight in the eye and apologised.

"Sorry Kushina-neesan." The boy, not even tall enough to reach her shoulders, bowed slightly. "I was preoccupied with my thoughts and lost track of time. It won't happen again." All the previous fatigue and queasiness was gone, replaced with a stoic and serious expression that didn't belong on any eight-year-old's face.

She couldn't help it. She burst into laughter.

He was just so unbelievably cute.

She reached up and pinched his cheeks, savoring the sensation of the springy blobs of baby fat. Seeing his lips curl into a frown only made the experience more enjoyable.

"Can we just start already?" the boy asked, clearly uncomfortable. He also seemed impatient, Kushina noted. She could see he see was itching to begin their session, and she did find that a little odd, given their previous string of failures.

"Figure something out?" she asked in interest.

"I think so."

"Okay then." She let go of him and grinned. "Go for it."

Kagura sat down and took a deep breath, the slackening of his facial features indicating the exact moment he went into his subconscious. He was cute like this too, and Kushina couldn't wait for the day she could see her own baby fall asleep. Too bad the training had begun already and she couldn't squeeze his cheeks.

For now. She shrugged; she wouldn't have to wait long. After all, who would expect an eight-year-old to be able to harness a Bijuu's power, even if he was a prodigy?

* * *

I should be dead.

Those are my exact thoughts when lucidity returns and I reopen my eyes. Everything aches. My body is still haunted by the dull, lingering pains that seek to remind me of the poisonous Bijuu Chakra I threw myself into.

Stupid me.

But pain is good. Pain means I am alive, and that my soul hasn't been consumed by the Sanbi. I should be thankful for that, at the very least.

There is a very sharp pain in my back; something hard and pointy is jabbing into me.

I sit up. The very lagoon where the Sanbi resides in is directly in front of me. Instinctively, I clench my hands. In doing so, I grab hold of many small coarse objects. It is not sand, which most shores are made up of, nor is it rock.

I bring one hand up.

The branching, porous, and bone-like structure is unmistakable. I am surrounded by a beach's worth of dead coral.

I turn around. A particularly large piece sits behind me, the cause of my discomfort. I pick it up. I am surprised when I realize it is wet.

I turn back to the lagoon. Its addition to the shore is recent.

Just like mine.

I am not supposed to be here. The Sanbi was right in front of me when I lost consciousness. I should be dead. It could have easily overtaken me and unleashed its might in Konoha.

But it hadn't.

And then realization dawns upon me.

The Sanbi saved me.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the cavern again.

I stood in front of the lagoon, no longer from the safety of the ledge, but on the shore the Sanbi had brought me to yesterday.

It was one thing for it to have ignored my presence completely. It could have just let my soul become corroded and torn apart by its chakra—but it hadn't done that. Instead, I had found my body in one piece, on dry land, and there was no other explanation as to how I got there.

The Sanbi must have carried me.

For once, I got my hopes up.

"Sanbi!" I shouted at the lake.

I waited for any kind of response. A disturbance in the water, perhaps. Maybe even bubbles. It had saved me, hadn't it? Didn't that mean it wasn't completely apathetic towards me? I sat down and waited, brimming with anticipation.

Seconds turned into minutes, and yet, nothing happened.

I didn't understand. If the Sanbi was willing to go so far as to save me, why did it refuse to even speak to me? Impatient and annoyed, I chucked the large piece of coral into the lagoon. It landed with a sploosh, and the ripples it caused broke the calm surface of the water for the first time today.

Maybe if I kept throwing things into the water, I could annoy the Sanbi into showing itself. But then I realized angering the Bijuu that had saved me wasn't really a good idea.

I sat down, letting out a sigh of resignation. This wasn't working out at all. Maybe Kushina was right. Maybe the Sanbi really was shy. But if that was the case... how was I going to ever access its chakra at will?

It wasn't like I could fight the Sanbi for it... and it certainly wasn't going to be the case where it would just give it to me...

I blinked. Wasn't the lagoon made up of its chakra?

I felt like slapping myself. How could I miss something so crucial?

The Sanbi's chakra was right in front of me the whole time. I crawled towards the lagoon. Hesitantly, I dipped a finger into it.

It burned, and I immediately pulled it out. The submerged skin was raw, peeling at some places, and I could see the start of blisters beginning to form. It almost looked like chemical burns.

At least there was this small consolation. I had full access to the Sanbi's chakra. Now... if only there was a way to get it into my system...

I gulped.

This was going to hurt a lot.

* * *

Kushina knew today was going to be different when Kagura started twitching during his trance.

Then he started spasming, and Kushina immediately prepared her Adamantine Chains.

He was clawing his own throat with his fingers while making guttural hacking and choking noises, causing him to look as though he was suddenly possessed. Kushina was extremely alarmed, but since she couldn't detect any spikes in demonic chakra, she reluctantly chose to observe.

Kagura was trying something new, and interfering might only hamper his progress.

From his original sitting position, he tumbled to the ground, writhing in pain as he curled his body up. He continued to cough and wheeze, as if he had something stuck in his airway.

Kushina couldn't imagine what exactly he'd done, and she wasn't going to take any chances. The chains shot out of her back, impaling the ground around Kagura to make a little jail cell which would limit his movement in case things went awry. It hurt her to see him like this, but until things got out of hand, she wouldn't intervene.

Unless the Sanbi was released in its full state, she was fairly confident she could force it back into the seal if she could just keep it stationary.

Minutes later, Kagura seemed to have calmed down. The violent coughing fit came to an end, though his breathing remained loud and unsteady. His hands slowly peeled themselves away from his throat. It was almost like he'd recovered from a nightmare.

His eyes fluttered open, and he sat up straight again, taking a few moments to appreciate the little enclosure Kushina had made for him.

He looked tired. As he brought up one hand to rub his eyes blearily, Kushina would've sworn that he'd just woken up from a nap if she hadn't been watching from the start.

"Kushina-neesan." His voice lacked energy, and it sounded slightly hoarse. The enthusiasm from the start of the session was completely gone, replaced with a sense of lethargy that made even her feel slightly tired.

Still, he had called her by name, so she knew that Kagura was in control. She called off her chains, and they vanished in a glitter of gold.

"How do I know if I succeeded in absorbing some Bijuu Chakra?" He asked the question so innocently, so matter-of-factly, so out-of-the-blue, that she didn't know how to answer for a few seconds.

"Uh," she managed to stumble out, "did your nails become longer?"

He looked down to inspect them. Then he shook his head.

"Did you grow fangs?"

He looked slightly confused, but there was some movement in his mouth and Kushina guessed he was trailing his tongue across his teeth. Again, his shook his head disappointedly.

"Did your eyes turn slit-like and red?"

This time he looked up to her expectantly, and Kushina took the chance to savour the close proximity she had with the beautiful pair of lilac eyes Kagura had.

Still though, they weren't red, and she shook her head for him this time. "Hmmm, maybe it's different for every Jinchuuriki. Do you feel...different in any way?"

To her surprise, Kagura looked down at his hand. "My hand feels funny."

"What kind of funny?" she asked.

He pursed his lips. "I don't know how to describe it. Like something wants to come out?"

"Why don't you let it come out then?" she suggested. That sounded promising, and she had to admit that she was curious too. With the Kyuubi's chakra, it never waited for her permission. It just kind of exploded out of her body and wreaked havoc. Maybe she had been right—the Sanbi was shy.

Kagura knelt down and pressed his palm onto the ground. Moments later, a crackling sound was heard and Kushina watched in amazement as coral began to branch out from his palm.

Kagura was concentrating, so his eyes were closed, but Kushina dearly wished they were open so that he could watch the magic unfold. It was amazing to watch the coral grow from a lone plant into a reef that reached half his height and stretched across the area of a house.

"Wow!" She couldn't help but give voice to how impressed she was. "Kagura, you did it!"

The boy finally opened his eyes, looking more tired than before. She grinned at him when she saw him blinking repeatedly, trying to comprehend the colorful and wondrous little marine fort he'd built around them.

"I... did this?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, you did! This is amazing Kagura!"

And it really was. A mere child, not even ten, already able to dip into the power of his Bijuu. Kushina felt a small pang of jealousy, but it was quickly replaced with joy when she saw the satisfied and content expression on Kagura's face.

"About time," he said, a ghost of a grin on his face.

There was so much pride in her heart she felt like she could explode. Was this how being a mother felt like?

Unfortunately, her little musings had to be cut short when Kagura fainted.

* * *

A trio of concerned-looking faces loomed above me when I opened my eyes.

Tomato red.

Sun-kissed blond.

Silky black.

Correction, two concerned-looking faces loomed over me while a third merely displayed mild curiosity and... was that annoyance?

It probably was, I decided, since I doubted Orochimaru enjoyed wasting time coming to the hospital, even if it was to visit an ill student.

Judging by Minato's presence, he'd probably been forced to come.

"Kagura-chan's awake!" Kushina cheered.

"Yes," Orochimaru said dryly, leaning away from her loud voice, "I think we can all see that."

Kushina glared at him.

"I fainted," I stated.

"Yes, you did," Minato said cheerfully.

"After using the Sanbi's chakra," I continued. I hoped it wasn't a dream. The pain I had suffered when I drank its chakra had felt extremely real, and it wasn't something I wanted to try again in the near future.

"Correct!" Kushina said, and I felt a small sense of relief upon hearing that. So at least I'd succeeded.

"Is that normal?" I asked. Having a Jinchuuriki that fainted every time they used their Bijuu's power seemed to be just asking for trouble.

"At the start, yes," Kushina said. "But once you get used to it and learn how to properly mix it with your own chakra, you'll get over it."

That sounded bad. It implied a long path of training, and acclimatizing myself to Bijuu chakra was something I had learnt first-hand to be a very agonizing process. It was like drinking acid. Or like drinking lava. It had felt like my insides were burning and melting away.

The corals were pretty to look at though, so I guess it was kind of worth it.

"So?" Minato asked, a small amount of excitement seeping through his voice. "How did you do it?"

I hesitated. I couldn't tell them that I jumped into the Sanbi's pool when Kushina wasn't around, could I? Maybe I should just tell them the second part. Yes, I supposed that would be horrifying enough. "I, uh, I-drank-the-Sanbi's-chakra," I mumbled quickly.

Minato looked confused.

Kushina looked horrified.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, seemed genuinely interested. "You drank it? You mean it's a liquid?"

I nodded, and proceeded to tell them about how the seal was visualized in my mind. "And so I suspected that the lagoon itself is the seal, and the Sanbi isn't allowed to leave it. At the same time, that means that everything within the lagoon has to be a part of the Sanbi, implying that the water is actually its chakra," I concluded.

"I see," Minato nodded in understanding. "And since the Bijuu are massive constructs of chakra at their cores, a physical body isn't actually necessary in such a metaphysical environment. The lagoon is the Sanbi, and it can choose whether to manifest in its turtle form whenever it wants. That's why you had so little luck finding it in the past."

I blinked. I hadn't actually thought about it that far, but I realized that Minato's reasoning made perfect sense. It was easy to forget that behind his cheerful and soft-spoken persona was a calculative and analytical mind capable of matching even Orochimaru's.

"So let me get this straight," Kushina repeated. "You knew that the water in the lagoon was chakra."

"Suspected," I corrected her, "I only confirmed it when I stuck my finger inside and it sort of... melted."

"Ah, I see," Kushina voice went slightly high, and carried with it an odd tone that made me feel quite uneasy. "AND YOU STILL DECIDED TO DRINK IT?" she suddenly screamed into my ear, causing me to almost fall off the bed.

I had, of course, anticipated such a reaction, and thus had pre-formulated responses to escape her fury.

Step one: Sweet Talk. "Well, Kushina-neesan, I knew I would be safe as long as you were the one supervising my training. After all, there's no one better than you when it comes to restraining a Bijuu. After all, if you can keep the Kyuubi at bay, I was certain that the Sanbi would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?" I gave her my biggest smile after I was done.

She puffed out her chest in pride and thumped it with her fist. "Of course, I'm Uzumaki Kushina, yeah!"

Step two: Guilt Trip. "And besides... I really wanted to make you proud, you know, since we'll be taking a long break soon so you can rest and take care of the baby. I didn't want our time together to end with nothing to show for it. And..." at this point, I looked down and pretended to sound hurt, "I thought you'd be happy if I surprised you like this..."

"Oh, Kagura-chan!" Kushina brought her hand her chest, sounding quite devastated and looking quite guilty. "I didn't mean it that way. And I am happy! And really proud of you too, yeah!"

And finally the finishing blow. I looked up, and gave her a hopeful expression. "I knew I could trust you, Kushina-neechan. I mean we're both Jinchuuriki, and you've got the one with more tails, so I guess, in a way... you really are my older sister."

And she was sold after that, because she sailed into the air and wrapped me into a bear hug so tight I could scarcely breathe. "Oh Kagura-chan, I can't ever stay mad at you! You're way too cute!"

'Help.' I sent a pleaful look towards the other two adults.

Orochimaru looked away, pretending to suddenly become very interested in a flower vase near the door. Meanwhile, Minato smiled weakly and gave me a thumbs up.

Moral support? What an utterly useless Hokage.

At least with Orochimaru, his complete lack of concern was expected.

* * *

With the first breakthrough achieved, training with Kushina became more common as we sought to control the coral.

Offensively, it could be used to immobilize opponents upon contact, like I had done with Anko all those weeks back.

Defensively, I could create walls of coral to defend myself from oncoming attacks or projectiles.

Alternating between my own chakra and the Sanbi's chakra was an inconvenient—and painful—process. Hence, most of our lessons were spent learning how to mix it, but progress was slow, and Kushina attributed it to the seal.

"It's not a bad seal," Kushina explained. "In fact, it's pretty good. The fact that it's got a one way barrier that lets you take the Sanbi's chakra without it being able to take yours is actually really useful."

From our time together, I'd learnt that Kushina really only spoke seriously when sealing was involved. She could actually lecture on for several hours if nobody said anything.

"It's just that your seal also happens to act as a wall that cleanly splits the chakra of the Sanbi and yourself. There really isn't much we can do besides poke small holes in it to introduce a small, steady flow into your system. It'll take a while though, because we have to increase it by small dosages at regular intervals."

Basically, every week or so, Kushina would modify my seal slightly to increase the amount of chakra that mixed. I could actually feel the difference after a month. Drinking the Sanbi's chakra now felt like drinking boiling water, instead of molten lava. According to Kushina, there would come a point where I wouldn't need to drink it at all.

I looked forward to it.

Unfortunately, with my newfound development, Orochimaru's interest—and therefore involvement—in my training suddenly increased.

Which meant a lot more mock battles with him, which was where I found myself about a week later.

My fist collided with his, and pain shot through my arm from the impact. I was fairly certain I'd fractured a knuckle or two.

Despite the pain, I grinned. A glancing blow was all I needed, and this was more than enough.

I blasted the Sanbi's chakra out of my hand. My coral was pretty tough but against Orochimaru, it probably wouldn't last long. That was fine with me. A few precious seconds was enough to snatch the bell hanging from his belt.

I waited for the coral to starting spreading across his skin and encase him, but suddenly something felt very wrong.

It felt as if an entire colony of ants was crawling up my arm, and the horribly disturbing feeling stole my attention away from the fight.

It was my coral, except instead of Orochimaru, it was growing on me. I immediately tried to shut it off, but given my poor mastery over the Sanbi's chakra, nothing happened, and I quickly found myself unable to move.

By the time the coral had stopped growing, Orochimaru's kunai was a hair's width away from my throat. I didn't dare say a word, worried that any movement would cause my throat to expand and the blade would cut my neck.

"The problem with you," Orochimaru said in irritation, "is that you always get excited whenever you learn something new." He lowered his arm and put his kunai back into its holster. "And you end up changing your strategy to suit your new technique instead of trying to incorporate your new abilities into existing, proven, strategies."

I winced. He sounded almost disappointed. But my mind was still reeling in shock. "How'd you reflect my coral?" I asked.

"Because you were stupid," Orochimaru said evenly. "You've always known the difference in our strength. Meeting my punch with one of your own would only hurt you. So when I saw you doing it, I could guess what you were doing. All I needed to do was to release enough chakra of my own from my hand to redirect your chakra onto yourself."

Was that even possible? Could human chakra actually push away a Bijuu's? Then again, Orochimaru was a Sannin, and his chakra reserves were probably quite ridiculous.

I frowned. That was another problem with using the Sanbi's chakra. I couldn't feel it. Within my body, I could control it, but the moment it left via a tenketsu, all sense of control was gone. My mind didn't subconsciously keep track of its location the way it did with my own chakra, which was the basis of the Petal Star Jutsu. That was why I couldn't feel it when Orochimaru repelled back the Sanbi's chakra back onto me.

"Kagura."

I looked up. Orochimaru looked angry.

"Are you even listening?"

I nodded. I'd heard what he'd said. "Need to avoid getting tunnel-vision when practicing new techniques," I mumbled.

He nodded his head. "Don't waste my time again."

Then he turned and left. I felt a little guilty and ashamed; Orochimaru was a very busy man, given the sheer number of projects he had under his belt. Training a child could literally cost the village a breakthrough in research. But he did it anyway. The very least I could do was to not let him down.

"Wait, Sensei!" I called out.

He stopped, turning back to face me with one eyebrow raised.

I wriggled where I stood, my body completely trapped in a prison made of coral. "Do you know how to get rid of this?"

He gave me a thoughtful look.

"I could probably break the coral."

It was that easy?

"But your body would probably shatter with it."

I could literally feel the blood drain away, and I could imagine my face paling at his words. "I'll uh... figure out some other way."

Orochimaru shrugged and walked off.

* * *

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Sasuke," Itachi said contentedly, her eyes not meeting mine at all as she continued staring dreamily at the fleshy blob wriggling in the crib. According to Mikoto, she'd been here all day.

I didn't get her fascination with her new younger brother. All he had done so far was burp, and Itachi had smiled for a solid three minutes afterwards, which was probably more than I'd seen any other time combined. Maybe he could do tricks or something.

Sasuke was tiny. His whole hand was tinier than my palm, and Itachi had proudly told me that his tiny feet were the cutest she'd ever seen. Oddly enough, even though he was barely a week old, he already had a decent head of hair, jet-black like the rest of his family.

"Can he talk?" I asked.

"No?" Itachi said, looking as if I'd grown a second head. "He's only just turned one week old. He can't even see properly. They don't start recognizing verbal cues until a few months old. Sentences only start forming at least after the age of one."

I wasn't very familiar with the average baby's developmental cycle, especially given Yagura's and my own quick rate of growth. I was quite sure I was speaking before I turned one. Judging by the amount of baby and childcare books on the bookshelf in the room, I could only assume Itachi had read them all.

"I don't understand why you're so enamored with him. He's not even doing anything yet. A pet dog would be better," I told her honestly.

"Kagura!" she chided softly, casting a worried look at Sasuke to ensure he was still asleep. "Don't say that. I'm sure you were once a lazy, good-for-nothing lump of meat as well."

I couldn't deny that. "Sorry," I said, slightly regretting the words I'd said earlier.

"He's Uchiha Sasuke, my precious younger brother," Itachi said joyously and proudly, her chin still leaning on the railing of the crib. "And I'm going to train and raise him to become the best Shinobi ever. He'll do Konoha and the Uchiha Clan proud."

It was odd. Kushina had said the same thing at our last training session. Now she was sequestered away to some secret location, and I probably wouldn't see her again until a few weeks after the birth. I wondered if she would still be so attached to me once she had a child of her own. She probably wouldn't, and I had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, being around her wouldn't be so suffocating. On the other... I wouldn't get so much free food any more.

"Do you have any siblings, Kagura?'

I considered the question. It'd been more than a year since I met Itachi, and I'd managed to evade or redirect every single one of her questions concerning my background or history so far. For once, I decided to answer truthfully.

"I do," I said. "I have a brother."

She looked surprised. She probably hadn't expected me to give her a straight answer. "Older or younger?" she asked.

"We're twins." I shrugged. "I don't really know, and I doubt it really matters."

"Twins? Identical twins?"

I nodded.

"You have to introduce us some day. Two Kaguras. I'm sure it'll be interesting."

"He's not in Konoha," I said, looking away. Honestly, I was thinking about Yagura less and less recently. There were too many things going on in my life and so many people in Konoha I'd come to know that I was beginning to forget about my life in Kiri. "I haven't spoken to him in over a year."

"That's not right," Itachi said crossly. "Family's important, Kagura. They're the ones who will always be there even when nobody else is."

I resisted the urge to laugh. The memory of Yagura jabbing a kunai into my chest during our graduation exam came to mind.

"Sure," I told her. "Maybe one day I'll talk to him again."

She didn't look very happy with my response, but lucky for me, Sasuke chose that moment to wake up and began to cry.

The rest of our day was spent with Itachi carrying Sasuke and singing him to sleep, her concern for me completely gone.

I didn't mind very much. Itachi had a very good singing voice.

* * *

There was a knock on my door. It was late, and I was having my dinner. I didn't know who to expect, especially since it couldn't have been Kushina.

I was quite surprised when I opened the door.

I hadn't seen Kakashi ever since Rin died.

"Yo," the silver-haired teen said softly. "Long time no see."

"Kakashi," I said, not even hiding my surprise. "Why are you here?"

His lone eye drooped slightly. "I was uh... told to come check in on you from time to time."

I cocked my head in confusion. Why would anyone ask him to do that?

"It was Rin," he clarified quickly. "She uh... wrote me some letters before she... died."

"I see." He sounded fairly guilty. He'd probably been putting it off and was probably only doing this now as some kind of coping mechanism. I couldn't blame him. I didn't think he had any other real friends his age besides Rin. "Well, I'm fine. Thank you for checking up on me, then."

I hadn't meant it as dismissal, but the way Kakashi jerked told me he had interpreted it as so. I felt bad. I didn't want him to think I was shooing him away.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

He shook his head.

I suspected as much. He looked horrible. Skinnier. Withdrawn. Bags under his eyes. Probably nightmares and an eating disorder.

"Come on in then. I have enough leftovers for one more. Now you can tell Rin that I'm eating right." Unlike you.

I could tell he didn't know whether to accept my offer as he stood at the door awkwardly. I made the choice for him when I pulled up another chair for the table and began setting his place. Only then did he mutter a quick thanks as he made his way in, an air of reluctance and discomfort around him.

I continued to eat my own food once we sat down, but Kakashi stared at his food blankly and fidgeted in his seat, and I wondered why he wasn't taking a bite. Then I remembered the mask. I turned away, angling my own seat so I wouldn't be looking at him, even though I was extremely curious.

"Thanks," he murmured.

For a few minutes, there was only the sound of utensils hitting ceramic as we ate. The rustling of cloth told me Kakashi had finished and had put his mask back on. His skin looked slightly more colored and healthy now.

"What have you been doing lately?" I asked.

"ANBU stuff," he replied softly.

I could only assume his answer was so curt because 'ANBU stuff' equaled 'secret stuff', and he literally wasn't allowed to tell me more. It was hard to imagine that the skinny, soft-spoken teen in front of me was one of the best ninjas in the village. I wondered if people would ever look at me the same way.

In the silence of the night, the lone caw of a hawk permeated. Kakashi stiffened.

"I have to go. Thank you for the meal."

And then he vanished.

* * *

Things fell into a pattern afterwards.

With Jinchuuriki training removed from my schedule, I got quite a bit of free time. Most of it was consumed by extra training with Anko and Orochimaru, but I was left with enough time to visit Itachi and Sasuke on a regular basis. Itachi was nominated for the upcoming Chunin Exam, while Sasuke could finally stay awake for more than an hour.

I continued working on integrating the Sanbi's coral ability into my current fighting style, something that Anko had difficulty adjusting to, since it meant that I now had techniques for close, mid, and long-ranged combat. Orochimaru naturally continued to wipe the floor with me, never even breaking a sweat.

Kakashi would occasionally drop by for dinner, but we never talked much, and our conversations always tended to lean towards my training and development. He was improving, steadily regaining his previous confident aura, and the last I saw, he was even picking up reading as a hobby.

For a while, things were good. Kushina was due to give birth at any moment, and I was looking forward to continuing my Jinchuuriki training.

And then the Kyuubi was released.

* * *

 **A/N: Remember when everyone thought the previous chapter's cliffy was bad? LOOOL.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm really sorry about this super delay in the next chapter (lol, some guest just reviewed about me breaking my weekly update promise, whoops). But I had an extreme case of writer's block, and this was actually a really stressful chapter to write since it's an important turning point in the story. But, I'm finally done, after two re-writes and a whole lot of mental debating.**

 **Thanks to Oriks for being such an awesome and responsive Beta-reader, and sorry to everyone for keeping you waiting!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16:**

Being suddenly awoken in the middle of the night wasn't an unfamiliar experience with me. For just the briefest of moments, I dismissed it as one of those moments when my brain thought I was falling and jerked me awake.

But then the windows shattered and exploded, and a massive shockwave caused the whole building to rumble as a hail of glass fell to ground with an eerie tinkling sound.

I tried hard to quell the panic and alarm rising within me. Acting rashly would do more harm than good. Already, I could begin to hear commotion in the building around me.

Babies began to cry and loud voices began to holler all around. It was faint, but I was certain someone from the unit next to me was whimpering. I stayed still in my bed, trying to assess the situation. There weren't many things that could cause such large scale damage, at least not in a ninja village like Konoha.

The word invasion threatened to roll off my tongue, but I quickly suppressed the notion. It was better to get a feel of the situation before jumping to conclusions.

There was a loud stomping noise from the floor above me, and I rolled my eyes at the occupant's stupidity. With the windows shattered and glass littered all over the place, the floor was even worse than a field mined with explosive tags. Especially if they were a civilian.

I was proven correct when his scream of pain echoed through our now-silent hallways.

Moron.

The room suddenly darkened by a tad, the moonlight streaming in blocked by a figure crouching on my windowsill, casting a long and menacing shadow on the floor.

My hand tightened around the kunai that I always kept underneath my pillow.

"Kagura! Get up."

My fingers relaxed. It was Anko.

She was already in ninja attire. Her response time was far too fast. The Shinobi corp had to have been on standby.

"What happened?" I asked, standing up on my bed and preparing to jump across the floor to the window.

"I don't know." She sounded worried. Behind her, the darkness of night-time Konoha was slowly being chased away as a sea of lamps and lights flickered to life. The whole village must have felt the blast.

A shockwave like that had to have an epicenter, and judging by Anko's worried glances behind her, it was somewhere beyond the village walls. That was good. It meant we still had some time.

Anko turned back to face me, her expression sombre. "But we all have our orders in case something like this happened. The Hokage briefed us last week."

"And mine are?" I asked, brandishing the kunai in my hand. I was a Jinchuuriki. My sole purpose was to react in situations like this.

Anko grabbed my hand. Then she yanked the kunai out of my grip. "To hide. We are going into the shelters. That is something the Hokage has decided. We can't afford to lose you. You are not ready."

I grit my teeth but did nothing else. If those were the Hokage's orders, I could not defy them. Away from the battle I went then. A small part of me felt some relief at the avenue of escape, but for the most part, I was disappointed. Almost three years in Konoha, and I had yet to see any real action at all.

Even Itachi had gone out. On real, dangerous missions, if the death of her teammate was anything to go by. I read a lot. I trained a lot. But I knew some knowledge and skills could only be acquired out in the field.

Reluctantly, I climbed out the window. I could see dark silhouettes flashing in and out of existence as they roof-hopped and Shunshin-ed across the town. The ANBU had been deployed, and one of their masked members was standing on a street lamp, barking out commands.

"All civilians are to evacuate to the shelters! All Genin are commanded to escort them and remain in the shelters as well! All Chunin are required to stay in the village and protect key installations and personnel! The Konoha Police Force will be supervising you. All Shinobi above the rank of Chunin are to proceed out of the village and to assist in the counter-attack efforts!"

An invasion. There was no other explanation. And they had to have been difficult enemies, especially since Genin weren't even allowed to fight. Maybe even one of the other Big Five was attacking us.

"Can you roof-hop?" Anko asked.

I shook my head. I used the streets like normal people. My legs weren't strong enough, even with chakra-enhancement, for me to perform crazy physical feats like tree-jumping or roof-hopping yet. That was probably why nobody would let me go out into the field.

"Climb onto my back. I'll carry you," Anko instructed, turning away from me and bending down slightly. In any other scenario this might have been embarrassing, but the village was in crisis. Time was of the essence, and petty things like pride had no place now. I did as she asked without hesitation, and once I was securely piggy-backed, Anko jumped into the air and we fled towards the Hokage Monument via the rooftops.

My suspicion was correct. Judging by the age and attire of the ninjas leaping all around us, everyone above the rank of Genin had been mobilized in secret. There was no confusion amongst them, and they moved around with a sense of purpose; coordinated groups that sped to their destinations silently and quickly.

An Uchiha, wearing an armband that designated him as a member of the police force, led a group of terrified-looking Genin down the street. He ordered them to fan out and search for any civilians not yet evacuated and to lead them into the shelters. They immediately straightened, their pale and scared faces morphing into ones of resolve and determination before they split up to accomplish their tasks.

Anko paid them no heed, and we continued to rush towards the Hokage Monument, the cold night wind causing my cheeks to hurt a little. We passed by a herd of civilians heading towards the shelter. Only two Genin flanked them, but they walked in file orderly and calmly. Their faces looked grim, but the panic was long gone, replaced by a morose sense of acceptance.

This was a ninja village, I remembered. The last war had only ended three years ago, and most people here had lived through two of them. They were used to it, and were resigned to the fact that violence and bloodshed was an irremovable part of their lives. They trudged along, bringing only what they could carry with them.

They might not have been trained ninjas, but the civilians here had an air of discipline and obedience that really couldn't be found anywhere else.

"It's almost magnificent to look at," I whispered into Anko's ear, "watching a ninja village prepare for war."

Anko swallowed. "It won't be. Not when the fighting actually starts."

Anko had taken part in the war. Technically, I had too, for that one mission that went horribly wrong and turned me into a traitor. But that didn't count. I hadn't seen a battlefield. Anko had, and according to Orochimaru, she'd lost her team in one. My arms were wrapped around Anko, and I could feel her muscles tightening and relaxing with an apprehensive irregularity. She didn't like this, so I kept quiet.

Anko was a Chunin. The Chunin of the village had been tasked to defend key installations and personnel. Anko was escorting me. Ipso facto, I was a 'key personnel', which I supposed was fitting, given my status as a Jinchuuriki-in-training. That thought made me realize something.

What about Kushina?

Wasn't her due date sometime this week? Who was protecting her? Did she even need protection? I was being stupid; of course she did. Even for Kushina, pregnancy would render her nearly incapable of fighting. But the real question was how Konoha's counter-attacking strategy would be altered if both their Jinchuuriki were non-combatants?

And then I saw it. Nine vine-like appendages, swinging madly in the sky, a dark and hypnotizing dance against the backlight of the moon.

No. It couldn't be.

A section of the great wall suddenly crumbled, claws as thick as tree trunks tearing through it like a hot knife through butter. A giant pair of lean and orange-furred clawed arms stretched through the breach. There was a deafening roar. It was an inhuman cry, the kind you'd only hear when demons invaded the earth.

I supposed that was very apt description of it.

Tiles were torn off roofs and trees were uprooted as a visible shockwave raced towards us.

"Anko!" I shouted.

"I know!"

I could see her shooting glances behind us, and when it was clear we weren't going to outrun the wave of destruction, we fell into the crack between two buildings.

"Cover your ears and open your mouth!" Anko yelled out. I followed her lead. Even then, I wasn't ready for what happened next.

All of a sudden, I lost the ability to breathe. The wind had been knocked out of me, but that didn't matter anyway. My muscles were locked in place, and for one terrifying moment I thought I was going to die.

The pressure was immense. I could feel the building we were leaning against began to shift and tremble under the force of the wind. The earth shook, trembling under the might of the roar.

The shockwave hadn't just carried with it air and kinetic energy. It was infused with chakra, and the hatred and malice that comprised it instilled a sense of fear so paralyzing and debilitating that I instantly found myself immobilized.

The image of the Sanbi came into mind. A giant turtle, flicking its tails and causing hurricanes to sweep across the oceans. The visage of the Sanbi slowly vanished, and a giant fox with nine tails took its place. A single stomp of its paw, and the earth trembled. A single violent scream from its maw, and the clouds and the heavens parted. A single swing from its claws, and whole swathes of forestry were erased from existence.

When I had faced the Sanbi with the Mizukage, it had been in the same room with me before I had succumbed to the might of its negativity. This time, the malevolence was a whole magnitude darker, and the source wasn't even within the village walls.

A hand gripped me hard, and sharp nails dug into my skin. I flinched and tried to pull away on instinct, but my reaction only caused Anko to hold on to me even tighter.

She had not seen a Bijuu before. She had not felt the sheer amount of power they could exude. She had not borne the brunt of the hatred and malice that made up their souls.

I had, and I was still on the verge of losing consciousness.

And then the shockwave finished passing through and the immense pressure vanished as quickly as it had set upon us.

For a few seconds, silence reigned. Nothing moved, and nobody made a sound. The relief I felt when fresh air entered my lungs was beyond description, and Anko finally let go of me as she began to pant.

Finally, pandemonium.

People began to realize that we were not fighting an enemy army, but a monster. A monster that was notorious for its ability to wipe nations off the map effortlessly.

Screams erupted everywhere, and civilians began to make a mad dash for the shelters in a massive horde. The Genin could do nothing, and more than few of them gave into their fears and joined them. An Uchiha policeman tried in vain to stop them, but had to leap away lest he he get trampled by the mob.

The calmness and discipline was gone, replaced by paranoia and mass panic. In the face of an undefeatable enemy, even a ninja village was not immune from the primal emotion of fear.

"Let's go, we have to keep moving towards the shelters," Anko whispered, her voice and disposition back to normal.

I hesitated.

"Anko. It's a Bijuu," I said. "It's my job to fight them, isn't it?"

I was a Jinchuuriki.

"Don't be stupid, Kagura. Did you see what it just did?" she scoffed. "You're not ready, now hurry up and let's go." The tone in her voice left no room for rebuttal. Not that I could, anyway. I couldn't even manifest a chakra cloak yet, much less a tail. Meanwhile, our enemy had nine of them. It wouldn't even be a fight.

I climbed onto her back. "A lot of people are going to die," I said quietly.

I could feel her whole body tense. "It isn't going to be the first time," she muttered back.

I guessed she was right. This wasn't the first time Konoha had been at war. Except, instead of an army of a hundred men, we had only one foe.

The Kyuubi.

* * *

I peered out the slit-shaped window of the shelter, buried deep within the Hokage monument. The air was stale, and the stench of body odor and urea seemed to grow stronger with every passing minute. It was packed, with Genins and a few Chunin like Anko overlooking hundreds of civilians crammed into every room. The atmosphere was tense, with sniffles and whimpers occasionally breaking the silence.

The Jounin had managed to patch up the wall, as a giant pillar of mud and earth filled the gap that had been made earlier. Even so, they hadn't manage to stop most of the damage. A whole section of the village near the wall was utterly demolished. Houses flattened and streets caved in, there was no illusion in my mind that all the occupants there had managed to evacuate in time.

I could only hope their deaths had been quick.

A thought hit me. "Anko... what if we lose?"

The possibility wasn't zero. Two of the three Sannin were out of town, with Jiraiya on his secret spy mission and Orochimaru leaving town just a few days prior.

"We won't. We have two Hokages here. We have Tsunade-sama. And we have that stupid Uzumaki, who's probably the best sealmaster in the world right now. With her, we'll definitely be able to win."

My heart almost stopped. Anko didn't know. Kushina was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. And the simple fact that the Kyuubi had been released didn't look good at all. I'd done my research. The chance of a Jinchuuriki surviving a Bijuu extraction was near zero. But near zero wasn't zero, and Kushina wasn't the type of person that would let things like probability stop her from doing what she wanted.

I refused to give up on her yet. Just like how I knew she wouldn't.

It was impossible to tell how the battle was going. They had managed to push the Kyuubi past the boundaries of the village, if the weakening tremors and the fading explosions were any indication. I supposed that could be taken as a good thing. For a short time, the battle had raged on right outside the village walls, and I had managed to catch a glimpse of our counter-attack force.

A monstrous and grotesque toad had been summoned, as well as a giant slug, though the latter hadn't lasted long, as a single swipe from the Kyuubi had caused it to disintegrate. But for a few short minutes, the toad, swinging its sword, had managed to fend off the Kyuubi as the Konoha-nins organized their attacks.

I doubted this was a battle even Jounin were qualified for. The Bijuu were a force of nature by themselves, and this was the strongest one.

I hoped nobody I knew died.

* * *

It was hours later, when the sun had already risen, that the all-clear signal was finally given.

The citizens of Konoha stumbled out from the shelters, physically sound but emotionally battered. Anko had left already, claiming she had duties to attend to.

I didn't doubt that. It was going to take a lot of effort to clean up the mess, and even more to repair the village.

Probably every single piece of glass had been shattered. As I walked, glass crunched beneath my feet. After being cooped up in the dimly lit shelter for more than the whole night, the sun in the sky was positively blinding. I raised a hand to block the glare, mimicking the actions of the hundreds of others that did the same.

There were too few of us here.

Konoha's population hovered slightly above ten thousand, of which only a third were trained ninjas. By my estimates, the number of people who had made it into the shelters was definitely less than five thousand. The situation wasn't as bleak as it sounded. The fighting with the Kyuubi had occurred at the fringes of the the village limits, so most of the buildings around us were mainly intact. Already, I could see a few heads popping out of windows, and audible cries of reliefs could be heard from within when word spread that the calamity was over.

A tall apartment complex, which probably housed over a hundred families on a normal day, had its occupants spill out onto the street as they desperately mingled with those leaving the shelters. I saw a woman pounce on a man, embracing him tightly as tears poured down their cheeks.

Not everyone could claim to be so lucky. I walked past a small house that had collapsed onto itself. I tried not to wonder if its inhabitants had escaped.

"Are there any Shinobi out there? I require assistance. There is an injured man here, and we need to get him into the hospital as soon as possible."

Like everybody else in the vicinity, I stopped, directing all my attention towards the pile of debris where the meek, feminine voice had come from.

Two ninjas immediately raced over and began to dig through the rubble. Startled gasps came from the gathered crowd when they pulled out a man, a large glass shard embedded into his abdomen. His shirt was stained with dried blood, but he was still alive, given his incoherent groaning and twitching fingers.

"There's one more," one of the ninjas said. "The girl who talked, we have to find her too."

"I'm right here." Something began wriggling and moving underneath the injured man's shirt, and a slug the size of my fist popped its head out at the collar. It was white, with blue stripes running down its back. It looked familiar. Then I recognized it as a miniature version of the giant slug summon that had appeared at the start of the battle with the Kyuubi.

Except... now it could talk.

I'd seen talking summons before. Orochimaru had summoned more than a few chatty snakes, often using them as messengers. But a slug really hadn't struck me as an intelligent species capable of speech.

"Katsuyu-sama!" the elder of the two ninjas said in surprised recognition. "Is Tsunade-sama safe?"

I blinked.

Snakes.

Toads.

Slugs.

I stared at the larger-than-average, but still really tiny slug, its antenna-like eyes shifting about as it let its gaze roam. It had gone down in one hit, and this was all that was left?

That was rather underwhelming.

"She is safe. She has released her Yin-seal in order to heal the wounded. Please help to transport this man here to the hospital as well."

With a puff of smoke, Katsuyu the Slug vanished, presumably returning to the summoning realm. The two ninjas looked down at the wounded man. One of them whistled, impressed. "Tsunade-sama really is amazing. This man would've been dead if she and Katsuyu-sama hadn't healed him."

The other nodded his head in agreement before carefully carrying the man bridal-style, and they quickly ran towards the hospital.

It was a pattern I very quickly noticed as I curiously walked around around the village, trying to get a grasp of the damage that had been done. Civilians with supposedly-fatal wounds, somehow breathing and stabilized, being rushed to the hospital in stretchers by ninjas.

Someone's arm had been completely crushed, and was dangling from his elbow from a thin strand of skin. He should've been dead, either from shock or from blood loss. His arm was unsalvageable, but somehow a sealed and unbloody stump had formed where exposed bone and arteries was supposed to be.

Another pair of ninjas rushed past me, a bloody mess on their stretcher. I couldn't even tell if the casualty was male or female. Its limbs were a mangled mess, and its skin was scorched black. Yet somehow, you could see its eyeballs rolling in their sockets as the living corpse calmly took in its surroundings.

And most surprising of all, Katsuyu the Slug was sitting upon its chest, a unique and distinct green aura exuding from her slimy body.

Medical chakra.

The Slug was capable of healing people. A fitting ability for the summon of the world's greatest medic.

I had a sneaking suspicion that unlike Manda, Orochimaru's ultimate summon, Katsuyu was not a summon meant for combat.

My theory was very quickly proven correct.

The people of Konoha were a chatty bunch, and I very quickly caught wind of the rumors that an army of slugs had invaded and had been healing the wounded since the start of the Kyuubi's attack.

I wasn't fully aware of the mechanics behind it, but it seemed Katsuyu had the ability to split herself into many smaller slugs and transfer Tsunade's chakra to heal others.

I was extremely impressed. There had to have been hundreds of people injured, especially from the area near the breach. And Tsunade had somehow managed to single-handedly heal most of them.

I finally understood how the Sannin became so unstoppable. With Tsunade supporting them, Jiraiya and Orochimaru could go on all-out attacks without worrying about safety. If only the other two had been here as well... I was certain the Kyuubi would've been repelled much faster.

I wondered what had happened to it. Had it been chased away? Re-sealed? Or had they done the impossible and actually killed it temporarily?

A pit formed in my gut. I still didn't know what had happened to Kushina. I wasn't clinging to false hope. I was more than aware that her death was the most probable outcome.

But it wasn't the only possible one.

I pressed on, wandering around a shell-shocked Konoha, hoping I could overhear any news concerning the Hokage and his family.

The village was still reeling from the sudden attack. Smoke billowed out from areas of burnt down buildings as recovery teams struggled to remove debris and continue searching for survivors.

Despite Tsunade and Katsuyu's assistance, not everyone had made it out alive. A cart pulled by two horses rolled past. On it, a bloodstained tarp covered a pile of what I could only assume were human remains.

The villagers talked a lot, spreading word about who had died and who had not, but I heard no news regarding people I actually knew.

An Uchiha policeman walked past, and I asked him if Itachi was fine.

He looked surprised, but narrowed his eyes slightly as if he recognized me. He might have, actually—I'd been visiting their clan compound often enough to remember many of their faces.

I heaved a sigh of relief when he told me that yes, Itachi-sama and her younger brother Sasuke were shaken, but otherwise unharmed. Then there was a cry for assistance and he rushed off to help a recovery worker trying to lift a large piece of rubble.

I heard no word on Minato, or any of his family members. Nobody seemed to know who defeated the Kyuubi and how they did so. The Sandaime was also found to be missing, disappearing off to wherever many of the senior commanders of the village seemed to have vanished to.

Obviously, something big had to have happened, otherwise no government body would have left their people so uninformed for so long. The people could only look to the Jounins for direction and instruction.

They were decent crisis managers, but with them also out of the loop, it was hard for them to quell the unease and rampant speculation that was beginning to spread.

And amongst all those lies and untruths, one stood out from them.

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, was dead.

* * *

It'd been three days.

Three days since the Kyuubi had appeared in the village from out of nowhere and killed nearly four hundred people.

Three days since the Yondaime Hokage fell in battle and the Sandaime reluctantly reclaimed a throne he'd only vacated two years ago.

Three days since any sign and trace of Uzumaki Kushina had completely vanished.

Her home had been completely vacated, and a 'for sale' sign had been slapped onto its front door. Traces of her in the village registry were completely wiped out. She was suddenly non-existent—a ghost.

I had dropped by the Uchiha compound, wanting to check up on Itachi. She was out on a mission—cleaning up debris and rubble—but Mikoto had been at home with Sasuke. Immediately, I had asked her about Kushina. She had averted her gaze and mumbled out something weakly about "nothing being confirmed yet".

I had taken that as a cue to leave, but that was enough of a reply for me.

Kushina might still be alive.

The village was still recovering and a heavy atmosphere hung in the air wherever I went. Denial and shock were still etched onto people's faces, and I caught more than a few of them throwing the mud wall that sealed the Bijuu-made breach a glance, perhaps to remind themselves that the Kyuubi attack had not just been a nightmare.

There had been a ceremony to mourn the dead. Everybody had worn black. It was like Rin's wake, except this time almost everybody in the village attended.

The Sandaime had read out a list of those who had passed, as well as those who were missing and their bodies yet to be found.

The very first name had been Minato's, and a collective cry of grief had escaped from the village. Nobody had expected his reign to be so short. He was supposed to have ushered in a new age of peace and prosperity, but his tenure had come to an abrupt end.

Someone behind me cursed the Kyuubi, and vowed to enact revenge on whoever had set it upon us. I wondered how he would react if he discovered it was the Hokage's wife who was supposed to have kept the Bijuu in check.

I found it hard to believe that the Kyuubi could have gotten the better of Kushina. Kushina was supposed to have been indomitable. Unconquerable. Even if the Kyuubi was an unstoppable force, she was the immovable object that could stand up to it.

She wasn't supposed to have lost.

An elder ninja, a Hyuuga, judging by his pale skin and pupil-less eyes, sighed dejectedly, muttering under his breath something about how even his clan's esteemed visual prowess could not have foreseen such a tragedy.

That was the point of tragedies, I supposed. They tore down the walls of assumptions we caged ourselves in, and exposed to us an endless spiral of "what if"s and "could have been"s.

Konoha hadn't been strong enough.

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and the fastest man alive, hadn't been strong enough.

That was the simple truth. We were unprepared for such a sudden and powerful threat, and even our best had been overwhelmed. We weren't strong enough.

I hadn't been strong enough.

I grit my teeth and clenched my fist. I was a Jinchuuriki. My greatest purpose in life was to prevent such a calamity. It was our sacred task to keep the Bijuu at bay.

I did not doubt Kushina's abilities. She was as strong as they came. But even she had failed. The Kyuubi was just that powerful.

As Konoha's sobs began to soften, I made a vow.

I would get stronger.

I would not fail.

* * *

The Sandaime kept on reading for an hour. After Minato, he read the rest out alphabetically.

He paused after every name, letting each one hang in the air. Shinobi and civilians alike had perished. The death toll would have been much, much higher if Senju Tsunade had not been around. Even so, many civilians had been caught in the initial blast, and far too many ninjas had suffered fatal blows in the village's attempt to chase away the Kyuubi.

There was a rumor she had collapsed from exhaustion from the sheer amount of healing she'd needed to do. Even after the attack, she'd worked herself to the bone, healing as many as she could. She'd been on the way from one operating theater to another when she'd simply fallen flat on her face.

The crowd kept silent during the rest of the affair, their only reactions winces and soft gasps. People who lived in ninja villages had to be a stoic bunch, weathering through bad news and crisis with a sense of resilience and acceptance seen nowhere else.

My body unconsciously jerked when the name "Nara Sorata" was read out. I frowned. When was the last time I'd played Shogi with my ex-classmate? He wasn't even a Genin yet, and I could only imagine it was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I supposed my Shogi games with the Nara clan would have to come to a temporary halt—I should give them time to mourn, shouldn't I? I felt rather depressed myself. After I started beating him in the game his family had trained me in, Sorata had sworn, over his dead body, that he would win against me at least one more time.

I doubted he knew that fate would take his words so literally.

His father was the next one to be called, and I could only imagine the sorrow Shikaku had to be feeling now at having lost both his nephew and his brother.

I wondered if it made me a bad person, feeling slightly relieved that both of them had died, and not only just one. At least they could still be together.

The names continued. Even the prominent ninja clans had not been spared. And one name certainly certainly did stand out from the rest.

"Sarutobi Biwako."

The Sandaime had said it with a straight face, his voice monotone and emotionless like with the previous names. But obviously something was different this time.

Maybe it was because the crowd had decidedly drawn a deep, collective breath the moment the name left the Hokage's lips.

Maybe it was because the Hokage's hands were trembling, and his fingers were squeezing the list in his hands with so much force the paper was beginning to crinkle.

Or maybe it was because somebody behind me had gasped and whispered out, "that's his wife, isn't it?"

And like a metronome, giving no time for the crowd, or himself, to recover, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued reading the list.

When he reached the letter 'U', I straightened myself, paying more attention than before, trying keep my ear out for any Uzumakis or Uchihas.

There had only been a single pair of casualties, two ninjas whose name were both Umino.

And that had been it.

I gulped. The Kyuubi had been unsealed from its Jinchuuriki. But Kushina's name had not been read out.

My heart seemed to skip a beat.

There was hope, after all.

Uzumaki Kushina wasn't dead.

* * *

"You can't see him now. I don't know if you noticed this, but the village is in a crisis. His waiting room is packed with people, and his schedule is booked until next week. I can't let you see him without an appointment," the secretary snapped at me, adjusting her glasses in the process.

I wanted to to say something in return, but she turned her head away in disdain to go back to writing something on her table.

I huffed, feeling frustrated, and slumped my back against the wall. Around me, at least a dozen people were all waiting to see the Hokage. There were a few seats, but they were all taken, so most of the people were standing like me.

I doubted anybody came here bearing good news. Some paced the floor nervously. Others rubbed their hands together in angst. A Jounin sitting down flipped through a report and let out a sigh of melancholy.

The Sandaime would probably not be getting any sleep tonight. I doubted he'd gotten any since the attack itself.

How was I going to find Kushina like this?

Maybe if I announced that I was a Jinchuuriki, it would bump me up slightly in the queue, but that hardly seemed like a bright idea since the village was in the wake of a Bijuu attack.

The door suddenly clicked open.

Hatake Kakashi was suddenly standing across me, in his ANBU uniform but with his mask hanging off from a clip on his belt.

"Ka...Kakashi?"

His lone eye barely flickered upwards, and a slight droop in his shoulders was the only reaction I got from him. I couldn't even tell if he recognized me.

He looked haggard. Exhausted. Devastated.

I knew little about the teen beyond his capability as a ninja, but I'd heard and seen enough to know that Minato was the closest thing to a father he'd had in recent years.

"You know where Kushina-neesan is, right?" I asked.

His gaze flicked to the right, breaking away eye contact.

He knew. Just like Mikoto.

"Tell me. Please," I begged.

His blank and glazed eyes met mine, and I felt my own body grow despondent and listless just by looking at him.

He sighed, knocked on the door he'd just exited from, and walked right back into the Hokage's office.

I could feel the piercing stares of everybody in the room just focused on my back. I couldn't blame them. If I'd been waiting for hours and a little upstart managed to jump the queue, I would be upset too.

Less than a minute later, Kakashi walked out, his mask blocking most of his face, though he did seem to have slightly more life in his eye now.

"Come with me," he said.

"Where are we going?"

"To the hospital. We're going to visit Kushina."

* * *

I'd been warded in the hospital more than a few times, no thanks to the brutal training methods of Orochimaru.

From my numerous stints there, I'd come to learn a few things about the place. For one, the higher the floor, the more important the person. It wasn't an official practice but someone, I forgot who, told me that it was to stop higher-ranked ninjas from jumping out the window in their misguided attempts to escape the hospital.

As a Sannin's student, since my Jinchuuriki status wasn't supposed to be on the record, I was usually warded on the third or fourth floor.

Kakashi led me up the stairs, storey by storey, until we finally reached the eighth floor.

It was like entering another world. The Konoha hospital was built with war in mind. On each of the lower floors, there were dozens of rooms inside, cluttered with beds meant to address mass-casualty crises like this one. Screams of pain and agony echoed across the sanitized-scented hallways, and teams of Iryo-nins and nurses bustled about, their heavy footsteps and the rolling sounds of galleys being carted around a constant ear-sore.

But by the time we reached the eighth floor, the difference was stark. Masked ANBU members walked around, visiting their wounded comrades, their footsteps silent and their presences diminished. The staff here talked in hushed voices, not wanting to disturb any of the patients warded here.

Patients were kept here with security and privacy in mind, and after the events that had transpired, I couldn't blame the commanders for sequestering Kushina here.

Throughout the whole journey, Kakashi remained quiet, dragging his soles uncharacteristically instead of the clean, sharp footsteps I was used to seeing. He stopped in front of the door, giving the ANBU guard outside a nod of acknowledgement, and knocked on it. "Kushina-neesan, it's me. I've brought a guest." His voice was lifeless, monotonous, seemingly devoid of any kind of cheer one would expect when visiting hospitalized loved ones.

He didn't even wait for a response before pushing the door wide open and shuffling in.

I quickly hurried in behind him, wanting to see Kushina as soon as possible.

I understood Kakashi's odd behavior the moment I saw her lying on the bed.

This wasn't Kushina. Her skin was too pale. She was too skinny. There were way too many tubes connected to her arms, all linked to indecipherable machinery making strange beeping noises. A transparent mask was strapped onto her face, and her dry lips parted slightly with each laborious and shallow breath she took into it. Her eyes were shut, and I began to suspect they had not been open since the Kyuubi had appeared.

I took a step forward and coughed. "Kushina-neesan. It's me, Kagura." My voice wavered and cracked, not daring to venture any further in case my mere presence somehow managed to worsen her condition.

I waited for any kind of response, anything that would have implied that she'd heard me. Maybe by some miracle, my voice could pull her out from her subconsciousness, and she'd burst awake and sing in her signature cheerful voice, 'Kagura-chan!'

But no, nothing of the sort happened, and the only sound that came from her was the steady beeps of her heart-rate monitor.

"She would have died," Kakashi said suddenly, breaking the gloomy silence, "if Tsunade-sama had not been waiting outside the barrier they'd put up."

"But now she's still in a coma," I said glumly, to which Kakashi nodded. "What happened?" I finally asked. Details of the Kyuubi attack had still not been released, and I had a nagging feeling the higher-ups wanted the common masses to believe it was a freak accident.

The alternative, that someone had the power to overcome our Jinchuuriki and control the Kyuubi to attack the village, was far more terrifying and difficult to accept.

But the truth often was.

"I don't know," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "I was not on the protective detail when Kushina went into labor. By the time I arrived, all the ANBU were dead... along with Sensei. Kushina was barely alive. Tsunade said she'd been impaled by the Kyuubi's claw. I saw the hole in her abdomen. I really don't know how she is alive after that." He clenched his fists. "I should have been there." Anger. The first emotion I'd heard from him all day.

I looked up at him, remembering that he was still in the middle of his grieving process. I had not interacted with Minato very much, given his busy schedule. Even so, I knew people adored him, and I had been more than willing to give him my respect. He was a fine Hokage, and an even finer ninja.

"Do you think you could have changed anything?" I asked.

"Maybe I could have. But now we'll never know," he spat out bitterly.

I turned back to Kushina. It was easy to picture her dead in her current state. "Do you think she even wants to wake up? She's lost her husband. She's failed her duty to keep the Kyuubi in check. She's lost her whole family, and I don't think she can stand the loneliness."

"No," Kakashi said forcefully. "She's not alone."

I looked up, furrowing my brow at his vehement denial. "We're not her real family. I don't think we can ever fill that void."

Kakashi shook his head. "She still has family. She has Naruto."

* * *

 **A/N: So Minato's dead and Kushina's alive. There's no turning back now, so** **let the rest of the story begin!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So this chapter basically wrote itself, except for the last part, which took nearly a week to write. (I wonder why.) It's slightly late, but here's the next chapter of the Unlucky Twin. Enjoy!**

 **Someone pointed out a mistake in chapter 2 where I mistook Hokage for Mizukage. I can't believe I missed it for so long LOL. Anyway, it's fixed now, thanks!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17:**

I visited Kushina everyday for as long as I could. I kept up with my training regime, cramming everything and taking no breaks so that by the time evening started, I would already be in Kushina's room.

Someone, probably Kakashi, must have told them I had the clearance to visit her, because not once did the rotating ANBU guard stationed outside her door give me any trouble.

I gave the ANBU guard for today a short nod of acknowledgement as he opened the door for me. Even now, security around Kushina had not been relaxed, and details of the Kyuubi attack were still sealed. It didn't take much before I deduced that someone had intentionally targeted Kushina in the middle of childbirth to release the Kyuubi.

Why else would there be a squad of ANBU hiding in the trees across the street?

I had discovered them quite by accident. I was still trying to improve the set-up time required for the Petal Star Jutsu, and had been in the process of imbuing every tree on the street with my chakra on the way to the hospital when I'd detected the chakra signatures that blended in almost perfectly with the trees.

This was actually something I could look into. I wasn't a natural chakra sensor, and it seemed I may have stumbled onto a way to make up for that flaw.

"Oh, Kagura-kun. You're here to visit Kushina too?"

I looked up in surprise, having been so entranced by my thoughts I hadn't noticed the additional presence in the room.

Then again, Mikoto, like any good ninja, kept her presence suppressed basically all the time.

I nodded my head, my attention diverted to the fresh pot of flowers in Mikoto's hand. So that's where they were coming from. They'd been changing everyday, and I'd never actually gotten to see who was bringing them.

"Mikoto-san," I greeted. "Yes, I am. I've come here every day."

She smiled. "That's very nice of you. I'm sure she'll be delighted to find out when she wakes up."

If she wakes up, I wanted to say. But I held my tongue when Mikoto's slight flinch told me she was already more than aware.

The Uchiha Matriarch dragged an empty stool over so that we could both sit next to Kushina, and looked at me expectantly.

By the time I'd sat down, she'd launched into a full-blown verbal assault on her comatose friend, spewing out all kinds of trivial and irrelevant information.

She told Kushina what she'd bought while grocery shopping today, and how she'd managed to haggle down the price of tomatoes.

She told Kushina how Sasuke had vomited on her during his first trip out of the Uchiha compound.

Most of it was useless gossip and depictions of her daily life, but I did manage to learn that Itachi would be departing for her Chunin exams next week.

I made a mental note to visit her before she left; I hadn't managed to see her since the Kyuubi attack, what with all the recovery missions the Genin had been swamped with.

Still, I wondered what the point of it was. It wasn't like Kushina could hear her. This wasn't one of those cases where the patient was aware of their surroundings but couldn't respond. For all intents and purposes, Kushina was unconscious, and would remain unconscious for the foreseeable future.

So I sat there for the better part of an hour, tuning out Mikoto's endless drabble, content with just watching Kushina's chest rise and fall against the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor.

She was alive. That was enough of a miracle.

* * *

Kushina got a lot of visitors.

I didn't get to see many of them, since I only came in the night, but the veritable pile of cards and gifts wishing her to get well soon showed just how many people cared for her.

And then there was Uzumaki Naruto.

I only managed to catch a glimpse of him once, a small bundle wrapped in a blanket, a tuft of blond hair poking out from very top. Mikoto had told me that the nurses kept Naruto with Kushina in the mornings and afternoons, but had to take him back into the infants' ward at the end of the day. There was an ANBU guard stationed out there as well.

One time, I asked Mikoto what would become of Naruto, since the hospital could only take care of him for so long, and there was no guarantee that Kushina would be waking up anytime soon.

"He has his godfather, who's supposed to be returning to the village any moment now. But I don't think he'll be able to stay for long. In that case, I'll volunteer to take care of him." She said the last part fiercely.

"Who's his godfather?" I asked, slightly curious. I'd never heard anything about there being one before.

"Jiraiya-sama," Mikoto said.

To say I was surprised would be quite the understatement. The stories that Orochimaru had told me along with my brief stint as his student had taught me that the man was not exactly suitable for raising young children. My reaction must have been very visible, because Mikoto suddenly laughed. "I see that you share my concerns. But there is little to worry about. Jiraiya-sama is a very busy man. I think he will be more than happy to hoist off Naruto to someone he feels will be more capable."

"Someone... like you?" I asked pointedly.

She laughed again. "I will try to convince him." Then she smiled coyly. "I'm sure it will not be difficult."

I gave her an odd look, not really understanding if there was any kind of hidden meaning behind her words.

Her eyes widened. "Right, I forgot that you're eight. Never mind then."

* * *

While Mikoto was the person I saw the most, she wasn't the only one.

"Back again, brat?"

Tsunade was sitting by Kushina's bed, dark bags under her eyes. There was a small smirk on her face.

I nodded. "I've finished with my training today."

"Uh huh," she said disinterestedly. "You know, it's not like she's going to wake up earlier the more you visit her."

I blinked, momentarily taken aback by her sharp words. "I know that," I said softly. "But I still want to see her anyway."

"Why? You should continue training. I know that's what Orochimaru would prefer. There's no point visiting so often until she actually wakes up."

Orochimaru.

Anko had sent a snake summon to inform him of the events that had transpired in Konoha.

His response was for us to ensure that none of his experiments and notes were disturbed, and that he would be back in a month's time. I wondered what it was exactly that he was up to for him not to return immediately. Even Jiraiya was supposedly on the way back. Perhaps it was a vital and classified mission?

I pushed the thoughts of my eccentric teacher to the back of my mind, returning to my conversation with Tsunade. I shrugged. "Maybe you're right. But what if she doesn't ever wake up? I want to see her while I still can."

The Sannin's face softened slightly. She let out a sigh. "Jiraiya was right. It's hard to tell if you're the second coming of Orochimaru or not."

I was suddenly very confused. Then I understood. "You were testing me," I accused.

She scoffed. "I was analyzing you. It's different."

I frowned. "How so?"

"You can fail a test. But you can't fail an analysis."

"Oh." So she just wanted to gauge my character. I supposed that was fair, considering that the two of us had barely interacted. "And your conclusion?"

"You're not as naive as Jiraiya," she said flippantly, "but you're also more sentimental than Orochimaru."

My hand automatically reached up to my chest to feel the pendant Kushina had given to me what felt like ages ago. My actions caught the eye of Tsunade, and she asked softly, "can I see?"

I tugged the necklace out from underneath my shirt, and the sea-colored gem seemed to glow on my chest. "Kushina gave it to me for my birthday," I said. "I haven't managed to return the favor and give her a birthday present of my own."

Tsunade pointed at her own necklace, a bright blue crystal that dangled from a tight cord around her neck. "My grandfather gave this to me too. It's the only thing I have left from him besides the Senju name."

Her grandfather? "You mean Senju Hashirama? The first Hokage?"

She nodded. "He married an Uzumaki, you know? So technically, I'm part Uzumaki." She gestured towards Kushina, "so she's actually one of my last surviving family."

"And you hers, as well," I said.

Tsunade blinked, as if she was just realizing that for the first time. "Yeah, I guess that's true." Her fingers wrapped around her own necklace. "Treasure Kushina's gift, Kagura. It might be her last."

I nodded. I was fully aware of that. But just because I was prepared for the eventuality didn't mean I was waiting for it.

"But you'll do your best to make sure it isn't, right?"

Tsunade smiled.

"I'm the best goddamned medic in the world, brat. Of course I will."

* * *

Of all places to bump into Jiraiya, I certainly hadn't expected it to be in my home. Then again, it couldn't really have been a 'bump' if that was the case.

I smelled him before I saw him. My home stank of alcohol, and a pair of sandals was messily dumped onto the floor. A spiky mane of white hair poked its head out from my bathroom.

Jiraiya looked like shit. He staggered over to me, his gait unsteady and uneven—obviously drunk—I pulled a chair for him to sit on. His eyes were bloodshot, and the signature war paint on his face was mixed with tear stains. I hadn't expected Minato's death to hit him so hard.

But that didn't explain why he was in my home, given the fact that the two of us had never really been that close.

He sank unceremoniously onto my chair, slumping downwards until his butt was almost hanging off the edge and his fingers were touching the ground. He let out a loud burp, and the putrid stench of alcohol got even stronger.

"Why are you here, Jiraiya-sama?" I asked, trying to hide my annoyance. I was looking forward to a good night's worth of rest, but I was beginning to doubt that I would be getting any at all now.

"Can't a man... just come and visit his student... once in a while?" His speech was slurred and broken, but even so, the sheer amount of pain behind his words was almost stinging. I sighed. If Kakashi had lost a father, then it wouldn't have been a far shot to assume Jiraiya had lost a son.

"But you only trained me for a few sessions," I pointed out. "And I'm already Orochimaru's student."

Jiraiya hiccuped, and pointed a wobbly finger at me. "Do you know... that out of everybody that I've ever taught... you're the only one that's alive right now?"

"I'm sorry about Minato, Jiraiya-sama," I said gently.

"You should be. We all should be. He shouldn't have died. He was supposed to be the savior. He was supposed to bring peace the the Elemental Nations. But now he's gone... and all I have left is you, Kagura. You're my only remaining student now," he finished in a harrowing whisper.

I felt sorry for the man. Unlike Orochimaru, Jiraiya seemed to make deep, personal bonds with everyone close to him. The death of his star student must have completely broken him.

The Sannin let out a deep breath before unsteadily getting to his feet and lumbering towards me. Having to tilt my head towards the ceiling reminded me just how big of a man he was. I hoped he wasn't going to hug me or something like that. He stank. I suspected he hadn't showered since he returned to the village.

There was no hug. Instead, he rested his hand on my shoulder and brought his lips close to my ear.

"It's all up to you now, Kagura."

My body froze. He sounded almost... sober.

I could only turn and watch as he continued walking towards my door, his body swaying and leaning against the wall for support every few steps. When he left and the door banged shut, I realized I should have extended an offer for him to spend the night here, so he wouldn't have to make the long journey back to his house piss-drunk.

But by the time I opened the door and called out for him, he was already gone.

Still... I wondered what he meant by that last line.

* * *

"The Hokage wants to see you."

I immediately jumped into the air in alarm, unleashing a torrent of petals at the sudden presence behind me.

The ANBU operative, face hidden by a porcelain bird mask, dodged to the side and used his arm guards to deflect the attack.

Still though, one petal had managed to slip through his defense, and a shallow cut began to bleed near his elbow.

I could sense his surprise and disapproval even through his mask as his gaze alternated between me and the minor wound.

"Sorry," I said guiltily as I recalled the petals. "You surprised me."

"No," he replied levelly. "I was in the wrong. I shouldn't have startled you like that. Or underestimated you either."

I blinked in surprise. Then I remembered his original words. "The Hokage?"

The ANBU straightened. "Yes, follow me."

As we walked, I began to consider the implications of this meeting. It'd been almost three weeks since the attack. I had anticipated such a meeting, almost dreaded it, even.

One Jinchuuriki losing control did not bode well for the other one.

But at the very least, I expected, as a Jinchuuriki, the Hokage to give me some kind of instruction to prevent such an event from occurring again.

Without giving regard to the Hokage's secretary, the ANBU pushed the door wide open and ushered me in, closing it once I entered.

The strong tang of tobacco in the air told me just how much stress the Sandaime was under. Still though, despite his thinner frame, his heavy eye-bags, and his slumped shoulders, Sarutobi Hiruzen carried with him a stoic and unforgiving air of authority.

"Kagura, please sit."

I did.

His hair had more white than I remembered.

"How have you been, Kagura?"

I gulped, wondering if this was some kind of a trick question.

"Good, Hokage-sama. I've been keeping up with my training. And visiting Kushina regularly as well."

"Everyday, I'm told." Of course he'd be monitoring the people visiting her. There was a small smile on the old man's face. "You are one of the lucky ones, then. I have heard very few people respond to that question favorably. Even I have not been in a good mood in over three weeks."

"I'm sorry about your wife, Hokage-sama," I blurted out suddenly, not really knowing why. But besides Minato, the other high-profile death had been Sarutobi Biwako. Everybody was talking about it and the picture of her on his desk certainly wasn't helping me.

He flinched. "That is a large part why. But thank you."

I kept quiet, not really knowing how to continue the conversation from there.

"Do you know why I called you here, Kagura?"

"To talk about the Kyuubi attack?" I guessed.

"There's certainly that," he acknowledged. "But there's another matter as well. But let's talk about the former first then."

I nodded.

"Has this attack made you more worried?" he asked. "That you may unintentionally release the Sanbi as well?"

I nodded again, though this time much more slowly than before.

"You shouldn't be worried," the Sandaime said reassuringly. "The circumstances that Kushina faced cannot be replicated with you."

"What circumstances?" I asked.

"We don't know the full picture," he confessed, "at least not until Kushina wakes up. But I can tell you that her pregnancy played a very large part in the Kyuubi's release." Another rare smile. "I doubt you will ever face that problem."

I nodded in understanding. So it hadn't been a coincidence. Whoever orchestrated the attack had intentionally targeted Kushina while she was in labor. "But do you know who was behind the attack?"

"No," he said, "there were no witnesses. Besides Kushina at least. Until she wakes up, we can only guess and speculate. But nothing concrete so far."

That was bad news. Very bad news. That meant the perpetrator was still at large. He could even be in the village, waiting for the next chance to strike at Kushina.

Or me.

Another question popped up in my head. "What happened to the Kyuubi? Was it re-sealed?"

He nodded. "The Uzumakis have always been prime candidates for Jinchuuriki. Their high vitality and chakra reserves mean that more often than not, they are better able to withstand and control Bijuu chakra."

So it was back in Kushina? No wonder the security around her was still just as tight. I doubted she would be allowed to roam around without some kind of security escort anymore. Especially since Minato was dead and couldn't teleport to her at a moment's notice.

I suddenly realized the same could be said for me. I gulped and asked, "am I going to kept under heavier watch too?"

The Sandaime pursed his lips. "That would be ideal. But difficult, because I wouldn't be able to justify your increased protection to the others without giving away your status as a Jinchuuriki. The fact that Kushina, and not you, was targeted only goes to show that keeping it a secret is already the best we can do."

It took me a moment to understand his train of thought. When I did, I couldn't help but agree. Realistically speaking, it didn't matter if the Sanbi or the Kyuubi was released. The sheer surprise of a Bijuu appearing in the village was more than enough to deal considerable damage to it. In that case, it would make a lot more sense for any potential attacker to target me instead.

Obviously they hadn't, which implied that the aggressors weren't really aware of my existence, which was good.

"Of course, it's still better to err on the side of caution," the Hokage continued. "Which brings me to my second matter."

I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

He let out a sigh. "Do you have any idea where Orochimaru is, and what exactly he's doing to have ignored my summons twice?"

I blinked in surprise, not at all expecting the Hokage's attention to suddenly be diverted to my teacher. "I thought you sent him on a classified mission, Hokage-sama," I admitted. "He did not mention much before he left. He said he'll be back by the end of the month."

"Mission?" the Sandaime scoffed. "He hasn't gone on a mission in a year. And now that I've finally given one to him after such a long break—to stay in the village and keep an eye on you—he suddenly decides to pull a stunt like this." He rubbed his eyes and massaged his temples. "And to think I was considering him to succeed me again."

My ears perked up at that. It was something I hadn't considered before. Even with the Sandaime here, the village needed a Godaime. Briefly, I considered the possibilities. After the Hokage's confession, I suddenly doubted Orochimaru would be a candidate anymore.

"I guess he's just very devoted to his research, Hokage-sama," I said respectfully while shrugging.

"He's always like this," he complained, "and one day it's going to be the death of me."

I didn't know what to say, even though I agreed with him. Orochimaru was still my mentor, and bad-mouthing him to the Hokage didn't seem very nice of me. So I said nothing at all.

The Hokage seemed to sense my discomfort and he quickly changed the topic. "I haven't seen you in a while, have I, Kagura?" His tone had become genial, almost grandfatherly.

"No sir, you have not," I replied earnestly.

"I'm sorry about that. I was looking forwards to spending more time with my family in my retirement. Even though I was the one that offered you a place in Konoha, I felt that Minato would be able to handle your integration into the village better than I could."

"He did," I said. "I have made many friends."

"Have you now?" The Sandaime looked genuinely surprised. Then he looked happy. "That is good to hear. Tell me more, Kagura. I'm afraid it is now my job to know."

I smiled weakly. At least he was upfront about it. So I told him all about my life in the past year.

Itachi, Izumi, the Naras, Kushina, Anko, Orochimaru, Jiraiya... the more I talked, the more I realized that I'd actually begun to feel some odd sense of attachment to the people around me. Was this perhaps the bonds that ignited the oh-so-famous Will of Fire?

By the time I was done, the Sandaine was beaming from ear to ear. "Are you happy here in Konoha, Kagura?"

I paused.

Happiness. What was happiness? I felt great satisfaction by being around the people I mentioned, but was I happy?

In Kiri, being alive equated to being happy, but here in Konoha, happiness seemed to transcend that. I couldn't quite grasp their interpretation of the word yet, but abstract concepts like fulfillment and contentment seemed to influence their idea of the basic emotion.

I was certain Minato had died a happy man, even if he had to leave his wife and son. But Kakashi, who was alive and one of the most talented ninjas around, was without a doubt unhappy.

If I died right here, right now, would I be satisfied with it?

The Hokage continued to stare at me, patiently waiting for an answer.

"I like it here," I finally decided.

But I wasn't happy.

* * *

I watched Sasuke crawl on all fours, his eyes glued to the object of his curiosity.

"He must be confused," I reckoned, "to see such a strange, brightly-colored ball of noise suddenly appear in his black-haired, stoic, and depressed world."

Next to me, Itachi frowned. "We're not depressed," she said indignantly.

Sasuke seemed to have developed some kind of intelligence and sentience since the last time I saw him. He'd actually come to realize that Naruto's sudden presence in his home was not normal, and had excitedly rolled and crawled over to investigate. Naruto, on the other hand, still practically a newborn, only cried, ate, and slept.

"Your mother must be tired," I remarked, "having to take care of two babies now instead of one."

"She is," agreed Itachi. "She's still asleep right now. They both kept waking her up with their nightmares in the middle of the night."

"Nightmares?" I turned to give Itachi a questioning look.

"The Kyuubi has very dark chakra. We Uchihas have always been sensitive to chakra. I suspect, given his heritage, Naruto is as well. I believe that they are still slightly traumatized by the malevolence they experienced during their brief exposure to the Kyuubi."

"I pity your mother," I said. What with the shortfall of ninjas and the village struggling to meet the influx of jobs, I wouldn't be surprised if Mikoto was asked to rejoin the active forces again. Sleep deprivation could be a most dangerous enemy, and I doubted Mikoto would ever get enough rest if such a scenario occurred.

"It's okay," Itachi said while shaking her head. "She seems happier. Once I come back from Suna and become a Chunin, I should be a lot more free, and I'll be able to help her too."

"That confident?" I asked, shaking my head exaggeratedly to mimic disapproval. Personally, I also felt that it was a guarantee that Itachi was going to become a Chunin, but overconfidence was never a good thing.

"Yes," she said, not a trace of doubt in her voice. "I have trained extensively. No Genin in Konoha can beat me right now. And they've tried." She didn't sound cocky or arrogant. It really did sound as if she'd gone and fought every Genin in the village and ended up victorious. It wasn't that hard to believe, especially after seeing her fight.

"I beat you," I pointed out.

"You're not a Genin," Itachi replied back evenly.

I supposed that was true.

For a while, things descended into a comfortable silence, and we watched Sasuke slowly begin to lose interest in the napping Naruto. Instead, the scowling baby slowly made his way towards Itachi and made a gurgling sound, which Itachi interpreted as a request to be carried.

She seemed to have a good sister's intuition, because Sasuke burst into gleeful cackles upon being picked up.

"Do you want to try carrying him?" Itachi asked. I didn't know if Sasuke was capable of understanding human speech yet, but the venomous glare he sent me seemed to suggest he was, as if daring me to even try and separate him from his sister.

I politely declined. Itachi put him back down instead and he looked devastated.

"How's Izumi?" I asked, realizing I hadn't heard anything about the girl since the Kyuubi attack other than the fact that she hadn't died.

The way Itachi turned her head, as if checking for eavesdroppers, told me that something was not quite right.

"Her father died in the Kyuubi attack. She hasn't left her house in over a week. She won't even let me see her." Itachi's lackluster tone made it quite clear that she'd tried multiple times at least.

I was stunned. "I thought no Uchihas died in the attack," I sputtered out, trying my best to recall if the Hokage had read out any of their names during the memorial.

"He isn't an Uchiha," Itachi said softly. "He's an outsider, and the clan refused to give him the clan name when he married Izumi's mother because he's just an ordinary civilian. That's why she's so upset, because the clan didn't even acknowledge his death. His ashes weren't allowed to be kept in the clan shrine."

I didn't know how to describe my feelings. There were traces of anger, but I also felt a sense of resignation about the whole affair. There was a reason why the clans with Bloodline Limits didn't get along with everybody else in my original village.

It seemed that despite being the first to set aside their differences and band together, the clans in Konoha could sometimes be as selfish as the ones in Kiri.

Oh well, Izumi would get over it sooner or later.

"Can you try to visit her some time? I'm worried," Itachi suddenly said, concern seeping into her voice.

"Me?" My voice went slightly higher-pitched than normal at the sudden request. "Why me?"

"You're not an Uchiha, so she might open up to you," she explained camly, and before I could respond, she wrapped her hands around one of mine. "Please? For me?"

I was gobsmacked, completely sucker-punched by the unexpected contact by Itachi. Her hands felt rough and calloused from hours of training, but within her delicate and slender fingers was a warmth that shook me to the bone.

I could feel my face warming up and my pulse quickening. "Um... s-sure," I finally stuttered out, wanting all these odd and unwanted sensations to stop.

She gave me a small but sincere smile, squeezing my hand one last time before letting go. "Thank you," she breathed.

Even on the way home, my mind remained riveted on those few seconds when she held my hand.

Genjutsu. It had to have been a Genjutsu.

Either that, or Mikoto had her start Kunoichi classes early. I should ask her the next time I bumped into her while visiting Kushina.

* * *

"Here," Anko said, thrusting a pink, frilly piece of paper into my chest, but doing it carefully so that it didn't actually crumple. "Bring that to Uzumaki Kushina the next time you visit her."

I stared at the piece of paper, momentarily stunned. The card was so girly—it had hearts on it—I couldn't believe it; it was so un-Anko.

"What?" Anko asked, putting one hand to her hip and sounding quite annoyed.

"I'm a little surprised, that's all," I said, recovering my wits.

"Tch. You think I can't be nice when I want to?"

I kept silent, eyeing her, waiting for the truth to come out.

"Fine," she said, crossing her arms. "I had Kurenai help me a little bit."

I recognized the name. Anko had mentioned her briefly in passing as one of her Chunin teammates. I hadn't known they'd gotten so close. Still though...

"A little bit?" I questioned.

"Just the design," Anko seemed almost proud. "The words and the idea are mine."

I wanted to take a peek inside the folded piece of paper, but it was meant for Kushina, so I didn't. Kushina deserved some privacy, at the very least. "Why the sudden gesture though?" I asked. "I thought you didn't care much for her."

"Yeah, I normally don't, but she deserves a break, you know? A lot of people say that Konoha would've been destroyed if she wasn't around, and you know... her husband's dead. So when she wakes up, she's going to be in a really bad place, and I think she needs all the support she can get."

I was surprised at how thoughtful Anko could be sometimes. She didn't often show it, but Anko was a sentimental person. I supposed that years under Orochimaru may have repressed and forced her to hide it, but Anko was actually quite in touch with her emotions.

"Thank you, Anko," I told her, "I'm sure Kushina would appreciate it."

Her response was a snort. "She'd better. All that glitter cost a bomb."

* * *

"Izumi?"

Silence.

Her mother, a middle-aged woman, would have looked quite beautiful if tear tracks and a constant frown didn't mar her doll-like features.

A tray was left outside Izumi's door, and I noticed that, besides a few bites taken out from the chicken and an empty soup bowl, the rest of the meal remained untouched.

Her mother lifted it up and put it in my hands. "Can you please ask her to eat more?" she pleaded.

Dumbly, I nodded, and she turned and walked away, her silent footsteps revealing her soft sniffles and sobs as she rounded the corner.

She'd lost a husband too, I remembered.

I waited for a bit before I knocked on Izumi's door. "Izumi? It's me. Kagura."

There was the sound of rustling cloth, but then I heard nothing else.

"I'm coming in," I said, slightly surprised that the door wasn't locked when I tried to open it.

Izumi's room wasn't like Itachi's. It was modern, using a real bed instead of futons on the tatami mats, and I suspected that it was a product of her non-Uchiha father. Other than that, it was relatively simple, implying a humble and modest family.

Izumi was curled up on her bed, facing me, her eyes wide in surprise at my uninvited appearance. She was still dressed in her pajamas, and her hair, normally smooth and straight, was wild and unkempt. The room kind of stank too—clearly hygiene wasn't something she prioritized in her grieving state. My attention was suddenly directed towards the silver urn on her bedside drawer. It took me a moment to understand just what, or who, it was.

Izumi immediately leaped off the bed and stood in front of it, arms outstretched protectively. "Go away," she snarled.

I put the food down in front of her. "Eat first," I said firmly. She'd grown thinner.

Her eyes narrowed. "Itachi asked you to come here, didn't she?"

I said nothing, but my silence may have very well given her the answer she was looking for. The sudden loss of the usual honorific when she said Itachi's name did not go unnoticed by me either.

"Go away," she repeated.

I gestured to the food and sat down, making my intention not to leave quite clear. Her scowl grew deeper, but she sat down anyway. She grabbed the pair of chopsticks and began to nibble at the rice.

"Since you're eating, let's talk."

She glowered at me murderously, but I wasn't fazed—it was hard to be affected by the glare of a child when Orochimaru was my teacher.

"I don't want to talk," she said.

"Okay," I said, "I'll talk, you listen."

She said nothing after that.

"Itachi told me the gist of things. You know, about your father." I ignored her subsequent flinch. "I'm sorry for your loss, and how the Uchiha clan reacted to his passing," I said.

Izumi said nothing, continuing to play with her food. She'd probably heard the same thing from dozens of people. They probably just told her politely to suck it up and move on.

Having never felt particularly attached to my own parents, I couldn't say I empathized with her, but the smattering of family portraits I saw around the house told me enough about how tight-knit Izumi's family had been.

"Do you hate the Uchiha Clan?" I asked. "Do you want to just walk away from it all?"

She looked up, clearly not having expected the question. The only people who'd come to to talk to her were probably other Uchihas, and they'd never ask a question like this.

She stopped eating, and I could see the figurative gears in her head whirring as she considered the question. Finally, she shook her head mutely. "I don't hate them," she mumbled weakly. "I'm just really frustrated and angry at them. I just want my father to be recognized. He died shielding my mother and me from debris. He deserves that much, at least."

"And you think holing yourself up in your room and burdening others is the way to do this?" I knew my words were going to sting, but I didn't know how to say it gently.

Izumi looked as if she'd been slapped.

I decided to press on using the momentum I'd gained. "Your mother can't grieve for her dead husband because she has to take care of her self-destructive daughter. Itachi can't concentrate on her Chunin exams because she's worried about one of the few friends she has. The leaders of the clan aren't going to respect your father because his daughter is a deadbeat shut-in who just mopes around."

The surprise abruptly faded away as her lifeless eyes turned icy and piercing. Her lips curled downwards to form the most seething, venomous scowl I'd seen on her.

"Get out," Izumi whispered, her voice steady with rage and fury despite her trembling disposition. "Get out of my room. Get out of my house. Get out of my life."

"No," I said calmly, already having anticipated such a reaction. "You're my friend. You're Itachi's friend. And both of us don't want to see you in such a pitiful state." From my pocket, I pulled out the bracelet she and Itachi had given me for my birthday, the lone Sharingan tomoe still hanging from the cord. "You need three to make the set, and the two of us are going to drag you out of this slump kicking and screaming if we have to."

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking towards her own identical bracelet sitting on her bedside drawer. She sneered at it. "Screw the Uchiha Clan."

"Itachi would be sad," I warned her. "She thinks highly of you, and she sees you in no different light from the rest of your clansmen."

She suddenly started to cry, and I had no idea how to react when the endless torrent of tears streamed down her cheeks. She rushed towards me, pounding her fists into my chest.

Izumi was still an Academy student, and had the body of one, so the blows didn't really hurt and I let her hit me. Had it been Itachi sobbing in front of me, it would have been a completely different story. Then again, Itachi wouldn't do such a thing.

For a few moments, I let her vent, not entirely sure if she was angry or sad, and also uncertain if the emotions were targeted at me in particular.

"What do you know?" she said between sobs. "You're a prodigy, pampered from birth."

Prodigies weren't pampered in Kiri, I wanted to tell her. They were beaten to the ground, forced to go through torturous training from the start to wring out every drop of our potential.

"You don't know what it's like to be a second-class clansman, to have others mock and bully you because your father wasn't from the clan."

The beatings stopped, and her arms dropped to her side.

"You don't know what it's like to be an outsider."

I had to stop her there, and the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"I do."

She looked up, her watery eyes glistening as her unshed tears reflected more light than usual. Or perhaps that was the rekindling of hope in her eyes.

I hastened to shut my mouth, lest I reveal more things I should not. But Izumi was persistent.

She grabbed my arm. "What do you mean, 'you do'? Tell me."

I shook my head. "I'm not allowed to."

"Please." Her voice wavered. I could tell she needed someone to confide in, someone who could listen to her qualms and misgivings about the Uchiha and not think any less of her for it and even empathise with her.

Right now, she wanted me to be that someone, but she couldn't trust me. Because I wouldn't trust her. It wasn't my fault—it was the Hokage's orders. At the very least, I would have to ask for permission before doing it.

Her face became downcast when I shook my head again. She pulled up her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly. She looked absolutely miserable. "People are always like this to me," she complained. "They always leave me in the dark, saying that I'm too young or that I don't need to know. But I'm not stupid. I can see that my house is in the outskirts of the clan compound. I could see the sneers and the looks of disapproval when my father carried me around. I can see the looks of disgust the other women give my mother when she walks past them."

"I never said that you were stupid," I said defensively. "But I really can't tell you."

"I'm an accident," Izumi continued, completely ignoring what I said. "I wasn't supposed to exist. I'm not supposed to have been born. But because I did, everybody else has to suffer. My mom became the harlot of the Uchiha clan. My dad was forced into a life he didn't want. Itachi has to stand up for me everytime the other kids pick on me. I'm worthless. I bring misfortune to everybody around me."

I couldn't take it anymore. Izumi was my friend, and I didn't want to see her like this. It seemed like I would have to ask the Hokage for forgiveness instead of permission.

"You know," I interrupted her, "I was sent to Konoha by Kirigakure with the intention of infiltrating it and destroying it from within." I wasn't going to tell her about the Sanbi if there was no need to.

She blinked, and her body tensed as her head slowly swivelled towards me. She had stopped talking mid-sentence, so her mouth was slack-jawed as my words sank in. It would have been a comical sight if the words I uttered weren't so grave.

"But... but," she stammered out, clearly still trying to formulate a response. "You're here."

"Yes I am," I said, and then I added sarcastically, "very astute of you to realize."

The sarcasm flew over her head. "I don't understand..." she mumbled, more to herself than me. "Does the Hokage know? Oh my goodness, I have to find an adult..."

I laughed. The confused and baffled expression on Izumi's face was priceless.

"You're joking, aren't you?" She crossed her arms, sounding very cross. "It's not funny. Not at all."

I shook my head. "I'm telling the truth. I was sent here when I was five. The Hokage caught us immediately."

She narrowed her eyes. "Us?"

"Me and my handler, a man called Satoshi. He's dead now, though. Kakashi killed him."

Her eyes grew wide. "Um... sorry?"

I shrugged. "Don't be. I wouldn't be here if Kakashi hadn't done so."

Most of the village wouldn't, I realized, since Satoshi had been in the midst of unsealing the Sanbi when Kakashi's Chidori shredded his heart.

"Can... can you tell me more?" Izumi asked hesitantly. She was curious. I couldn't blame her. Information about foreign villages was scarce, no matter what village you were in.

So I told her.

I told her about Yagura, and how as prodigies, we were treated as outcasts by the others and how we had to kill each other in our graduation ceremony.

I told her about the Mizukage, who offered me a more honorable end, and Satoshi, who was supposed to guide me to it.

I told her about how we got caught, how Satoshi died in front of my eyes, and how Sarutobi Hiruzen offered me an ultimatum: join Konoha or die.

I told her about my house arrest, how Kakashi and other ANBU members kept watch on me and escorted me everyday.

I told her about Yamanaka Inoichi, who dug through my mind, extracting out every single piece of information about Kiri that may or may have not aided Konoha in the war effort.

"That sounds horrible," Izumi said at the end. Her deceased father seemed to have been forgotten, and she was leaning dangerously closely to me. "I think I would have just chosen to die instead of go through all that. How... how did you bear with all that?"

I smiled. How did I indeed?

I told her about Kushina, who visited me as often as possible and taught me how to integrate to Konoha, herself coming from Uzushiogakure at a young age.

I told her about Anko and Orochimaru, who took me in, teaching me all I knew, and forcing me to value my own life.

I told her about Inoichi, who went beyond his role as an intelligence gatherer and became a listening ear to my problems.

I told her about Minato and Kakashi, who despite their busy schedules, came down once in a while to check on me.

And finally, I told her about Itachi and Izumi, two girls who treated me like their own family even though they had no reason to by inviting me to have lunch with them just once.

"I felt like an outsider, sometimes I still do," I told her. "But there are so many people here who make me feel at home. So I stayed."

"I'm sorry," Izumi said softly. "I never knew."

"Now you do," I shrugged. "I don't know how you feel exactly, but you've got people here who cherish and accept you. People like your mother and Itachi. Cherish them," I said, thinking about Kushina's lifeless form in the hospital, "while you still can."

"I..." She sounded unsure of herself. "I don't know." Then she grinned, the first happy expression I'd seen on her face so far. "But thanks for telling me all that. And for trusting me. It actually helped. I feel a lot better now, Kagura."

I looked down. All the food was gone; Izumi had finished it. I supposed my job here was done then, and I took the tray and stood up. "I have to go," I told her. I had training to attend to. "I hope you feel better soon." Just as I reached the door, I suddenly stopped. "By the way... all those things I told you... they're A-ranked secrets, so you can't tell anybody else, okay?"

Izumi's happy face suddenly paled, and she nodded seriously. "Does... does Itachi know?"

I shook my head.

Her grin returned, even wider than before. "Then it will be our little secret, okay?"

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the boy standing across from him.

Kagura fidgeted where he stood, a look of remorse on his face.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I know I broke the rules, but I couldn't just leave Izumi in such a state."

He'd been waiting for a moment like this.

"Ninjas who break the rules are scum, Kagura," he said.

The boy flinched. Internally, Hiruzen smiled. How he'd longed to pass on a piece of wisdom he'd once heard from Minato, who in turn had heard it from a most promising child who had unfortunately passed in the war.

"But those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum."

The surprised look on Kagura's face made the long wait completely worth it.

For the first time since taking on the mantle of Hokage again, Sarutobi Hiruzen was positively elated.

* * *

 **A/N: I think we all can't wait for the Uchiha massacre now ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Next chapt! Thanks to Oriks for Beta-ing as usual!**

 **Chapter 18:**

Itachi was right. The view from the Hokage Monument was really something. The vast expanse of Konoha stretched out below me as my feet dangled off a rocky clump of Minato's hair.

I hoped it wasn't disrespectful.

It'd been more than a few months since the Kyuubi attack and Konoha was well on its way to making a recovery. Houses had been rebuilt, deaths had been gotten over, and ninjas were finally able to relax again.

But the remnants of the Kyuubi still haunted the village if one knew where to look. The rebuilt part of the wall had a shade of white that was different from the rest. The cemetery had gained a new plot of land, complete with a whole host of tombstones.

It would take a long time for the Kyuubi to truly vanish from the minds of the villagers.

A soft tap sound announced Itachi's presence. I turned around.

A masked shinobi in ANBU gear stared blankly at me. A pair of fully-developed Sharingan glowed through the eye-slits.

As she crossed her legs and sat down, Itachi removed the mask, her long hair cascading down her back as she did so.

"How was it?" I asked.

"I'm officially an ANBU now," she replied.

I doubted it was normal for fresh Chunin to be considered for ANBU, much less actually being selected to join the elite force. But then again, Itachi was Itachi.

"Congratulations?" I said uncertainly, not knowing if it was something she actually wanted.

I had to admit, I was a little jealous of her. I was nine already, and I was more than capable of taking on most Chunin. Even so, I hadn't left the village once. With the Kyuubi attack still hanging over everybody's minds, there was no way the Hokage would let me past the village walls. I hadn't gone on a single mission, and even the menial D-ranks were starting to look attractive to me.

I wondered how many people Itachi had killed already.

She frowned, and for a moment I thought she was unhappy about being selected.

"I have a higher security clearance now."

"Good for you," I said, slightly confused at her non sequitur.

"They gave me a bunch of files to read. They're village secrets that are important for its defense."

"I'm sure there are many," I said.

"There's a bunch of names and faces we have to memorize. They're both key personnel and potential threats."

Ah. I knew where this was going now.

"One of them is you, Karatachi Kagura," Itachi immediately followed up.

I wonder what the file on me said. It probably didn't mention the Sanbi.

"Fascinating," I said calmly, not wanting to give anything away. "Can I read it?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"I was always curious to know why you knew all those Kiri techniques. And who your elusive teacher is."

"Well, now you know." My mind went blank for a moment. Now that Itachi had suddenly found out about all this... would she treat me differently? Would she distance herself away from me, knowing that I was an official threat to her village?

"It explains a lot," she agreed. "Too many things about you didn't add up. But I was still a little surprised when I found out the truth."

"It's not your fault. You should have seen Izumi's reaction when I told her."

Itachi blinked. "You told Izumi?"

I had to admit, I hadn't expected Itachi's voice to rise like that. I nodded. "The Hokage knows. He scolded me..." I tried to recall our little session, and then added, "a little bit."

Now Itachi's expression bordered between horror and disbelief. "You revealed an A-rank secret and all you got was a light scolding?"

I nodded. "I think he was actually happy. He was smiling a lot near the end. Perhaps I caught him in a good mood."

Itachi looked skeptical. "That doesn't sound like how we should be treating a potential enemy."

I shrugged. "That's true. Does that mean you're going to be staying away from me? I might be a double agent that'll end up killing you, you know?" I had said the words light-heartedly, but internally, I was slightly worried that she would say yes. Itachi was the only person my age I'd met so far that I would ever consider an equal, someone whom I could actually compare myself to.

Besides Yagura of course.

Itachi cocked her head, looking confused. She scooted her body closer to mine, bringing her face right in front of me so her spinning Sharingan eyes could stare into my soul.

I felt a slight blush building up in my cheeks. Itachi kind of stank since she'd just come back from her mission, but that wasn't the only reason I found the experience to be uncomfortable.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," she whispered. "I'm not going to break off from you, Kagura. In fact, I'm going to make sure I can keep a close eye on you at all times."

I laughed. "Coming from an ANBU, it sounds scary." Then I paused. "And a bit creepy."

"Good," she said. "That'll keep you on your toes." She seemed satisfied, but then abruptly bit her lip. "How come you told Izumi but didn't tell me?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You were the one that told me to comfort her."

She raised one of her own in response. "You comfort girls by telling them state secrets."

"Hey, it worked," I said defensively. "And it's not like there was any reason for you to know either. That would've been doubling my crimes!"

Itachi turned away. "Hn," she grunted.

* * *

"Water release is so stupid," Anko said in a huff, the leaf in her hand still completely dry.

Now that she was a Tokubetsu Jounin, she'd decided to add another element to her repertoire, and the first thing she did was coerce me to be her teacher.

It wasn't something I minded, because I needed my to do my own practice anyway.

Orochimaru's present to me was really something that was difficult to master.

Anko caught me looking down at the ring on my finger. "You know, usually when somebody gives you a ring," she smirked, "it means they're really into you."

I frowned. "But it's a weapon."

"It's a really pretty weapon. And expensive, too. That's pretty much all you need for an engagement ring."

She wasn't wrong about the aesthetic appeal of my newly acquired weapon. A silver flower sat atop my ring finger, the kind that had dozens of small and sharp petals over multiple layers. Orochimaru had given it to me when he came back, and told me to try pouring my chakra into it.

I had been surprised just how responsive it had felt. It was rare for inorganic materials to conduct and store chakra well, and Orochimaru had informed me it had cost him a great deal of money to have that forged for me in the Land of Iron. Honestly, with the huge increase in damage potential my Petal Star Jutsu had now, his extended leave of absence was more than forgiven.

At least for me.

"And he didn't get anything for me," Anko complained. "That's totally not fair. I've been his student longer."

"He said your present is still in its developmental phase," I pointed out. "Judging by how long it's taking, I think it's going to be quite powerful as well."

Anko didn't look convinced. "I hope so. Maybe that's why he's been reading all those Sealing books again."

Recently, it was rare for all three of us to be in the compound together. Orochimaru was in the room next door, pouring over countless books. Meanwhile, Anko and I were in the training room, trying to practice our own new techniques.

The denser chakra and smaller volume of the metal shards made controlling the Petal Star Jutsu far more difficult, and my current limit was having ten of them in the air. I could mix my original petal combos in with them, making them harder to see and detect. It was going to be difficult though, because while my organic petals were better for cutting and slashing, the metal ones, given their tiny size, were far better for piercing attacks. The concentrated chakra in each one of them greatly increased their penetration power, but their small size meant that unless I hit a vital area, I wouldn't actually being doing much damage.

I threw a shard at one of the training carcasses, this one that of a pig, and it flew straight through. I recalled the shard, and this time it made another hole as it returned. I walked towards it. The metal petals were smaller than my fingernails, so it was hard to find the holes.

"You know," Anko began to say. "I've tried to replicate that thing you do in that technique with my other elements, but it doesn't work."

I looked up, slightly surprised. I'd explained to both Orochimaru and Anko the nature of my Petal Star Jutsu. It was only when I did so that I realized that the technique was pretty damn complex. Yin-release, nature manipulation, shape manipulation, chakra control, chakra compression, and the sheer amount of focus one needed to control so many petals was something not even Orochimaru had managed to replicate. He'd given up after he managed to achieve the effect with one petal, saying that it wasn't worth his time. But since Anko hadn't learnt water manipulation, I hadn't expect her to attempt to learn it too.

"But... I based the whole Petal Star Jutsu on the wind chakra thing you did with your dango stick," I said.

She put her arms to her side. "Yeah, all that does is make kunai sharper. You've somehow managed to create a miniature army of flying knives that respond to your will telepathically, and well... it's kind of terrifying that now you've got metal ones."

"I guess Orochimaru-sensei really does acknowledge it as a proper Jutsu then," I said, quite pleased with myself. He wouldn't have taken the time and money to make such a gift if he hadn't.

Anko sighed. "I wish we could test it out in the field, maybe let you go out on a mission, but that's not really a choice anymore."

"Why?" That was exactly what I wanted to do. Between my standard ninjutsu, my original techniques, and the powers of the Sanbi, there were so many things I wanted to try in an unsimulated environment.

"It's kind of a secret among ninjas... but you've always been an exception to that rule, Kagura-kouhai." She walked closer to me, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "In the past few weeks... about a dozen ninjas have gone missing. All at least Chunin level. Nobody knows what happened, and even ANBU investigations have turned up nothing."

I gulped. That did sound quite serious. Especially since... "Could it be the same person behind the Kyuubi attack?" I asked.

Anko shrugged. "Nobody really knows. But it's definitely a possibility. He could be trying to gain information for his next attempt."

My fist clenched instinctively as I imagined Kushina in her still-comatose state, the Kyuubi sealed within her. She had an ANBU guard, but she was still so vulnerable.

I sent another wave of shards at the dead pig. It was hard to aim from afar, but I had a general idea of what I wanted to do and they obeyed. A meaty slap sounded as one of the pig's feet fell to the ground.

I needed to get stronger.

* * *

"Sensei."

A sharp intake of breath gave away Orochimaru's annoyance, but he still peeled his eyes away from his book.

"What do you want, Kagura?"

"I need your help," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Since when have you not?"

"Supervise my Jinchuuriki training, please."

A small twitch in his cheek gave away his interest. "You know I can't. Only Kushina is allowed to, if I remember correctly. And also, the Sandaime has decided to postpone your Jinchuuriki training. He can't risk two Bijuu attacks in a year, especially not when our resident sealing master is in a coma."

I felt my fists clenching automatically. Wasn't that exactly why I had to become stronger? It wasn't right to keep counting on others to do my job. As a Jinchuuriki, dealing with Bijuu and their hosts was something only we could do. With Kushina incapacitated, everything fell onto my shoulders, and I seemed to be the only one that wanted to do anything about it.

"Sensei, you can't tell me you agree with him," I said. "It's a waste of time and potential!"

"No, I do not. But the Hokage's orders are the Hokage's orders," Orochimaru said distastefully. Then a glint reached his eyes. "Unless you want to disobey them."

I swallowed. This was a test, wasn't it? Had the Hokage put Orochimaru up to this? A test of my loyalty? "Sensei, do you trust me?" I asked.

"No," was his immediate response. I had to admit, it stung a little.

"Well, I trust you, Sensei. And I believe you'll be able to stop me even if I lose control of the Sanbi."

Orochimaru remained silent, his gaze fixated on me as the book in his hand was all but forgotten. "Why?" he finally asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"I need to get stronger," I said. "And if it means that I need to break a few rules, then so be it."

His tongue trailed across his lips. "Alright, Kagura. I'll help you. But this has to remain between the two of us, understand?"

I nodded.

The next time I visited Kushina, Mikoto had brought Naruto along with her.

The blond baby had grown quite a bit, and his hair had grown long enough for it to actually look spiky and messy.

"I was hoping Naruto's cries would wake up her," Mikoto said wistfully, "but I guess that's not happening."

Indeed it wasn't, and Kushina remained as unconscious as ever.

"So, Kagura. Itachi's told me that you're Orochimaru's student."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "I am. But I thought you knew that already." She was a Jounin after all, and the wife of a noble clan head. She had to know.

"I did," she acknowledged playfully, "But Itachi seemed too distraught to realize that."

"Distraught?"

"Oh yes," Mikoto said. "She couldn't stop talking about it. She was always curious about you, and often she share with my husband and me her many different theories on how you got so skilled despite having no Shinobi background. When she found out that you were on the village's watchlist though..." Mikoto laughed. "She seemed quite upset that you might be an enemy one day. She asked me if I had any advice on dealing with a friend that might end up being a traitor."

"And what did you say?" I asked, more than curious now.

Her smile turned coy. "I told her if she kissed you, it might cause your loyalty to flip back to the village."

I blinked, realizing that my face was becoming warmer by the second. "You told her what?" I clarified, thinking I must have heard her wrongly.

Mikoto went absolutely hysterical, gently lowering Naruto to crawl around on Kushina's bed as she clutched her stomach and laughed so hard that she began to wheeze.

"You should have seen her reaction! She was so surprised, and then her face turned as red as a tomato. And then she realized I was just joking and stormed off to play with Sasuke for an hour. This is the closest thing she's had to a tantrum!"

I found myself frowning. "It's not that funny. Sounds like she was asking you for real advice."

Mikoto cocked her head. "Do you intend on betraying the village, Kagura?"

"Well... no." I felt a little uncomfortable, thinking back to the conversation I had with Orochimaru just a few days ago. Just because I was disobeying the Hokage didn't mean I was committing treason... was I?

Mikoto shrugged. "Then it doesn't matter now, does it? Kushina trusts you, and that girl's always been a good judge of character, so I trust you too, Kagura." She grinned. "Even with Itachi."

Her words made me feel... nice. And I realized that as someone who had always known the truth, if Mikoto had ever doubted me, she wouldn't have let Itachi near me in the first place.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome, Kagura," she replied with a smile.

* * *

Minato had died to save Konoha, and as one of the people living in it, I found it only right to pay my respects.

As per his will, his gravestone was just one among many in the section of the cemetery reserved for Shinobi. It was white, nondescript, bearing only his name and the symbol of Konoha. If the Sandaime hadn't told me about it, I wouldn't even have known it was here.

Which made me all the more surprised when I discovered I wasn't the only one visiting today. Even with his ANBU mask on, Kakashi's slouchy posture and signature hair made it easy to recognize him.

"Hey," the teen said softly when I approached, taking off his porcelain mask to reveal only one visible eye on a face otherwise covered in fabric.

"Hello, Kakashi. Here to visit Minato?"

"And them, too," he corrected me, stepping back slightly and gesturing at the gravestones next to Minato's.

Uchiha Obito.

Nohara Rin.

A pang of sorrow hit me. I realized Kakashi was the only surviving member of his team now, and that had to hurt. I had met Minato, and I had met Rin, but Obito had died before I had even come to Konoha, and what little knowledge I had of him had only been acquired when Rin mentioned him in passing during our conversations.

"They all died so that I could live," he said, pain and regret seeping through his voice.

I wasn't surprised. Dying for their teammates seemed like the kind of thing Konoha ninjas were famous for. I still found it quite silly, though. If the strong kept killing themselves to protect the weak, then all that would be left in the end were the weakest ninjas.

"Then you'd better not die," I said. "Or it would be a waste."

"I know," he said firmly. Then he suddenly turned to face me. His lone eye narrowed on me. "Kagura, I need to ask you a question."

His tone sounded quite nervous, and I suddenly felt worried that my conversation with Orochimaru had somehow been leaked.

"Do you miss Rin? Or Sensei? Do you still find your memories of them haunting you?"

I was caught off guard. I hadn't expected that question, and from Kakashi no less. I paused for a long time. "No," I finally said. "Minato and I were never that close and as for Rin..." I hesitated, wondering I should tell him about the dissociation. "I severed the emotional link I had with her."

I could see his fist clenching. Then he relaxed it.

"You still remember her?" he asked. "Your conversations, her personality, the emotions you used to have for her?"

I nodded. "Faintly. But they are... distant. Now they feel more like watching a play, rather than firsthand experiences."

Kakashi took a deep breath. I could almost sense him thinking.

"Kagura... can you perhaps teach me how to do that?"

I blinked. I had expected anger. They were his precious people, and Rin had been one of mine. But then I had cast her aside once she died, treating her like a stranger. From a normal person's perspective, it would have been a horrible thing to do, dishonorable and cowardly. But emotions had always been a burden to me, they distracted me from the present and the now. They made me hesitate and hindered my logic and efficiency. Kakashi cared greatly for them, and I never would have imagined him to want to cut them out of his life.

Maybe it was because of how much pain he was in.

"I can. But I won't," I said after consideration.

His frown may have been hidden behind his mask, but his unhappy tone gave away his dissatisfaction. "Why not?"

To be honest, I wasn't sure. My ability to just banish someone from my mind wasn't something I was proud of, nor was I ashamed to use it. It was just... there. To me, it was just one of my many abilities, like the Petal Star Jutsu, that increased my performance and effectiveness. I had never had emotions motivate me or hinder in battle. I fought Yagura because I was told to do so. Every killing strike I threw at him was because it was kill or be killed, and the fact that he was my brother had never crossed my mind in the midst of the fight.

Kakashi didn't work that way, I was sure. I didn't think any of the Konoha ninjas did, except maybe Orochimaru, but Orochimaru seemed to be a general exception to most rules, so I ignored his peculiarity. I never once thought that my way of thinking was superior to that of Konoha's Shinobi. It was just... different. The results spoke for themselves; Konoha had the most S-class ninjas, so clearly their Will of Fire or whatever worked for them. But if I took away that from Kakashi... would it his performance improve or regress?

The answer was simple. Kakashi would fall into a slump, because it seemed his drive to improve stemmed from his emotional attachment to the village and his precious people.

"Because it wouldn't do you any good," I told him.

"But it would for you?" he challenged.

"Yes."

For a moment, Kakashi could only stare at me. "Kagura. If Kushina were to die today... would you sever your bond with her?"

His question hadn't fazed me in the slightest, because it was one I asked myself every day. Alive, Kushina meant a great deal to me, practically and emotionally speaking. As a fellow Jinchuuriki and outsider to Konoha, she was someone I could confide in, someone I had a lot to learn from. As Minato's wife and one of the last Uzumakis, she had clout, and her support for me meant a great deal to me and everyone else. She was someone who looked out for me, someone I could go to with my problems. She was a friend, and probably the closest thing I had to a mother or, as she preferred, an older sister. But if she was dead... none of that would matter. All that would be left was a gaping hole in my heart that would cause considerable pain. The feelings I had for her would bite me in the ass, and nothing good would arise from any continued association with her.

"Yes," I said honestly.

That was the difference between Kakashi and me. Kakashi wouldn't have come to the same conclusion as me. He would have thought about honoring her memory, or carrying out her final will, or some other sentimental nonsense. We were too different. And that was why I would never teach him my ability of emotional dissociation. It would end up altering the very core of his character, and that was something I wasn't comfortable with, and it was something I believed he wouldn't want to happen either. Once he learnt to deal with his grief, he would thank me. I hoped.

"I... see," Kakashi said. Then with a Shunshin, he left.

I looked down at Minato's grave, wondering if souls existed and if he'd seen the whole thing. It didn't matter, because he was dead and nothing could change that.

"Thank you for your sacrifice, Yondaime-sama."

* * *

 **A/N: So just a li'l bit of fluff, but the next chapter will probably start the next arc already.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So...this chapter took a while. You'll understand why the moment you start reading it. I'll save the longer part of my A/N at the bottom, so do give it a read too, please!**

 **Much love to Oriks for Beta-ing this like a boss. 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 19:**

I was training with Itachi the day Orochimaru put the Cursed Seal on Anko.

I had not known anything about it. I did not believe Anko had either.

"Orochimaru-sama." Itachi stopped her attack mid-strike, straightening her back and bowing in respect.

I turned around, and Orochimaru was marching towards me with a sense of urgency I'd never seen in him before. Completely ignoring Itachi, he grabbed my arm.

"Come with me."

The force he used to pull me away left no room for argument, and all I could do was throw a small wave at Itachi before Orochimaru's Shunshin took us somewhere else.

"Sensei?" I asked, realizing my voice was trembling. He had a completely different look. His eyes were colder than ice, and a permanent scowl seemed to have found its place on his face. And then there was the blood. His hands were covered by it, so much so that it was dripping down my wrist. Red splotches sullied his clothes. Something had happened to cause this aberrant behavior from my teacher, something that even Orochimaru had not truly known how to react to.

The only question was why he was dragging me along.

"Go to your home. You have thirty minutes to pack your things. We must leave Fire Country within six hours."

He had said the words with a sense of seriousness that demanded obedience, but even so, I could tell his mind was completely distracted. His eyes were darting around, scanning the bushes and the trees for unseen threats.

"Where...where are we going?"

"Grass Country." His reply was curt.

"Why six hours?"

This was highly uncharacteristic of Orochimaru. As someone who planned every detail meticulously, such a drastic move wouldn't just disrupt my plans, but it would probably put his to a complete halt for at least a few weeks. Unless..."Is this a mission?" I couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of seeing real action for the first time.

Annoyed, Orochimaru looked down. I could tell that he was thinking deeply, truly considering what he should or should not tell me. "No. It is not a mission. And we only have six hours because that is roughly how long it will take for Tsunade to heal Anko and report to the Hokage."

My blood chilled. "What happened to Anko?"

"An accident." Orochimaru averted his gaze from me. "I...miscalculated. I nearly killed her. It...will not happen again." He looked up and put a hand on my shoulder. "Forget about her. We do not have time to bring her with us. You must hurry and return home, and meet me at the Third Lab in thirty minutes, understood?"

Starting to actually feel afraid, I nodded. The Third Lab was the one located near the ANBU training grounds. I knew where it was, but I'd never gone in, and neither had Anko. It was where Orochimaru did his worst experiments, the one where ANBU in unmarked masks always guarded. It was the only one Anko and I were forbidden to tell anyone about, the one where Konoha's more legally questionable procedures were performed.

A sinister thought suddenly dawned on me.

"Sensei. Are you betraying the village?"

He stared at me unflinchingly.

"Yes."

* * *

My mind was in a whirl as I stuffed everything I owned into a rucksack.

This was happening. Orochimaru was abandoning Konoha. The mere thought of it dumbfounded me. He was a war hero. One of the Sannin, who were more revered than the Jounin Commander. He had even been a candidate for the next Hokage.

And now he was walking away from it all. And yet, the more I thought about it, the less surprised I got. The tantrums he threw when Minato was chosen as Hokage over him. The fits and rages he went into when the Hokage started restricting his research because they were running out of prisoners to use as lab subjects. The increasingly frequent visits out of the village which could last for months.

I should've realized Orochimaru's bitterness earlier.

I hesitated. Even if I had, what could I have done?

He was my teacher, but more than that, he was one of the strongest ninjas alive. It would've been easy for him to kill me if he suspected that I would report him. All he had to do was claim that I'd lost control of the Sanbi, and he'd get away scot-free.

Itachi's bracelet was already around my wrist, and and I quickly tied on Kushina's pendant. But it was only when I grabbed the hairpin-knife that Anko gave me that a thought hit me.

Why was I even following him? In six hours, he was going to be a criminal. He couldn't be my legal guardian if he was branded as a missing-nin, and therefore I had no reason to listen to him at all. But he was also a very dangerous person, and not listening to him might get me killed instead.

Any idea of convincing him to stay flew out the window immediately. Orochimaru was the most rational and logical human being I'd ever seen, to the extent that it made him almost inhuman. He would've assessed all possible scenarios, considered all the consequences, and only after that would he make a decision as big as betraying Konoha.

The biggest question I had was how I fit into his elaborate masterplan.

Was I a bargaining chip? Collateral? As a Jinchuuriki, along with my contentious past with Kiri, I wouldn't put it beyond him.

Or perhaps I would fill Anko's role as his research assistant. A pang of worry hit me again. I still didn't know what Orochimaru had done to her, but I was beginning to have my suspicions.

The constant alluding of a some kind of gift to her, which would power her up, had left Anko excited for almost a year. His recent obsessions with seals. All the human experiments he'd been pushing for.

There were many questions I had, but I wouldn't be getting the answers to any of them by sitting around in my house.

The only thing I knew for certain was that Orochimaru wasn't forcing me to come with him because he was afraid of being lonely.

* * *

I'd never been to the Third Research Lab.

I knew where it was, but I'd never even attempted to go near it. The entrance was disguised as a warehouse and when I entered the concealed tunnel completely unimpeded, I knew something was amiss.

No guards. No traps. Not even an "authorized personnel only" sign.

I discovered why a few minutes later. As a facility used for human experimentation, I thought the putrid smell was normal. On hindsight, any real scientific lab wouldn't have allowed decomposing bodies to air.

The sticky feeling on on the soles of my sandals caused me to stop walking. The walkway was dimly lit, but there was enough light for me to see the reflective sheen on the floor.

Blood.

Not fresh, but not entirely dry yet, either.

I swallowed. I thought about what Orochimaru had said about Anko, and wondered if whatever he'd done to her, he'd done to her here.

There was a door at the end of the corridor, bearing the first "restricted" sign I'd seen so far.

I leaned my ear my against the cold metal, realizing that there weren't any sounds of life coming from the other side at all.

I opened the door.

Something rushed towards me, and I instinctively jumped backwards. A dozen metal shards from my flower-shaped ring burst out and hovered protectively in front of me.

There was no need.

A corpse collapsed right in front of me. The man was obviously one of the researchers. His pristine white coat was stained red with his blood and a kunai stuck out from his back. His face was locked in an expression of shock. Whoever had killed him had done it neatly, severing the spinal cord with the kunai and letting him bleed out, paralyzed.

One name instantly popped into mind.

If he had died leaning against the door, it was only obvious he had been trying to escape.

I cautiously stepped over his body, the Petal Star Jutsu still active. The stench of rotting flesh only got stronger.

Bodies—and body parts, were strewn all over what used to be a lab. It was clear which ones were originally specimens and subjects. It said something that their deaths looked to be the most peaceful, lying on the dissection table, the cuts and incisions on their naked bodies clean and precise.

Then there were the researchers. Cracked glasses. Panicked expressions. All seemed to have had quick deaths. Slits to the throat. Broken necks. Clean cuts through the heart. Whoever had come here and done this had taken them by surprise.

Lastly, there were the ANBU. It was hard to tell exactly how many of them had died here, but I counted four torsos. Charred skin. Torn-off limbs. Snapped bones. Plain white masks that had been amalgamated into the faces that had worn them.

There were only a few people in the village who could take on ANBU so easily. Only one of them had any reason to.

"Right on time. Come, we must go."

I nearly jumped in fright when Orochimaru suddenly appeared beside me, and the Sannin made a disapproving snort in response.

"What's the point of having all these sharp pieces of metal in the air if you don't use them to poke someone who surprises you?"

In truth, that should've been my first response. But it was a good thing it wasn't, because attacking Orochimaru wasn't really a smart idea when he was in the middle of betraying a village.

I opened my mouth to say something. I had a long list of things I wanted to discuss with Orochimaru first. I didn't want to leave Konoha. Not when Kushina was still in a coma. Not when it meant Itachi would end up being my enemy. Not when Anko was critically injured. Not when it would waste years of hard work spent trying to prove my loyalty and making friends.

But before any of this could leave my mouth a sharp rapping of wood interrupted me and a sharp voice cut through the air.

"Not so fast, Orochimaru."

From the shadows, a man I'd never seen before in my life emerged. I heard an irritated draw of breath come from my teacher.

Bandages wrapped his face, covering one eye and his forehead. An arm seemed to have been incapacitated, hidden behind an elaborate cast disguised as a sleeve. The other arm clutched a walking stick, one that was pressed firmly into the ground. An 'x'-shaped scar on his chin and his hardened gaze told me that the man was a ninja. Or at least, he was once a ninja

He must have been a good one too, if Orochimaru's tightening fingers were any indication.

"Danzo."

"Leaving without a goodbye, Orochimaru? I'm almost hurt. We've worked so well in the past."

Orochimaru gestured towards the human remains scattered all over the room. "This is my goodbye."

The man seemed to wear a perpetual scowl, but now it only grew deeper. "Yes. Murdering my top scientists. Stealing years of research. Killing some of my best soldiers."

I gulped. The man seemed to be quite an important person.

Orochimaru flared in anger. "It's my research. I'm the one that did everything! Your men were useless, and they even had the audacity to threaten me!"

"They would not have, if the test subjects you brought them had been the bandits I asked for, instead of kidnapped civilians and our own ninjas."

I froze. What...what did Danzo just say?

The man seemed to have caught on to my shock, and something with the semblance of a smile appeared on his face. "Oh, you're his student, and he didn't even tell you? Your teacher's been abducting citizens of Fire Country, even his own comrades, to perform experiments on them."

I looked to Orochimaru. He seemed completely undisturbed. "Says the man who took fifty babies and did the exact same thing. All of them died by the way, Kagura."

I could only look on in horror as the two men began to brag about their atrocities.

"They were orphans. They would have led horrible and worthless lives anyway," Danzo said callously, shrugging. "But you murdered your own fellow ninjas for no reason. We've just come out of a war, Orochimaru! We don't have enough manpower as it is!"

"No reason? I needed people with developed chakra pathways! The seal reacts differently to ninjas and ordinary people, and the old monkey gave away almost all our prisoners-of-war!"

"And let's see where that's gotten you? Right, your first apprentice is now in the hospital, fighting for her life, because of your Cursed Seal!"

I couldn't stop the gasp from escaping out of my lips. "Sensei...you used Anko...as a research subject?"

"No!" For the first time so far, Orochimaru sounded something other than angry. "No," he said again, softer. "She was supposed to be the first successful case. I'd done all the calculations. It was supposed to have been perfect. I still don't know where things went wrong."

He had said it as though that was going to make things better. But Anko was in the hospital, fighting for her life, simply because Orochimaru couldn't find another living ninja to test his seal on. I felt almost disgusted.

"Enough," Danzo said. "We're going off-topic. Hiruzen will know about your crimes soon. We don't have time."

"Are you planning to stop me?" Orochimaru asked with a challenging tone.

"No, I can't," Danzo said, shaking his head. "We both know that. I want us to come to an agreement."

"We keep each other's secrets a secret, am I right?" Orochimaru said with a smile.

Danzo nodded. Then he faltered. "Orochimaru," he pointed at me. "Are you taking him with you?"

"Yes."

I felt my hands curl into a ball. I didn't want to leave.

"Konoha needs him," Danzo said with a frown, making me wonder if the man knew about the Sanbi.

"I need him too," Orochimaru said. "And you know full well what's going to happen to him once I betray the village."

Even I knew. I'd already betrayed a village once. If my mentor became the worst criminal Konoha had ever produced, which was sounding to be the case, nobody would ever trust me. Even if I didn't get executed, I was certain they would keep me under constant surveillance and restrict my movements. It was going to be like being a prisoner all over again.

Paranoia saved lives in the ninja world.

"I can take him in," Danzo offered.

"And let him become one of your dolls?" Orochimaru scoffed. "He's too good for Root."

Danzo narrowed his lone eye.

I felt highly uncomfortable. Two men with such high influence, bickering over me. I knew I didn't have a choice now. Even if I'd stayed, there was no way Danzo would let me just walk away after being privy to the whole conversation. He sounded like one of the top authorities of the village, and obviously their exchange was something he didn't want the Hokage to find out about.

"I'd rather he be in Root than be in your hands," Danzo spat. "The boy stays."

"Or what?" Orochimaru was defiant.

"I'll make your escape that much more difficult."

Orochimaru laughed. "You're welcome to try. Watch me escape, anyway."

Danzo made one last scowl, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru's eyes widened. "A shadow clone." He cursed. "The original could be speaking to the Hokage already. Come Kagura, we must leave now."

He grabbed my wrist, trying to pull me away. Instead, I resisted, and the ensuing glare he gave me was downright murderous.

"I said, we're leaving. Now," he repeated, making it very clear that there would be no third time.

I steeled my nerves. "Why?" I asked. "Why do I have to follow you? You don't need me. I don't want to leave Konoha."

Orochimaru looked as though he'd been slapped. His hand squeezed, and I immediately grunted out in pain. Any harder and my wrist would be broken. "Don't make me knock you out and take you by force," he growled.

"Please, Sensei," I pleaded. "Just tell me why."

He glanced at a clock on the wall.

"You're one of my projects. An ongoing experiment. Abandoning all my effort that I've put it into you is something I do not want to do. I want to see just how strong you can become. Every time I measure your progress, I am continuously amazed, and that is something I do not want something as trivial as village allegiance to end. You are my student, Kagura, my protege. I want it to remain that way."

I blinked. Of all the answers, I hadn't expected that. There was always the chance that he was lying, of course, but that seemed far too over-the-top even for a lie. "What about Anko?" I asked, still feeling a bit disgruntled. "She's your student too."

He looked away. "What happened to her is regrettable. But the truth is that I've lost my interest in her. She's starting to near her limit. That was why I wanted to put the seal on her. Giving her the ability to use Senjutsu would greatly increase her potential. But now, we have no choice but to leave her behind."

"What about everything else?" I blurted out, venting my own worries onto him. "Your friends? Your whole life? Konoha's your home, and you're going to throw all that away?!"

"I don't care for Konoha anymore," the Sannin said flatly. "In fact, I am quite happy to leave it behind. All the stupid rules and regulations are holding me back, limiting my knowledge. Do you know why I excuse myself from the village for such long periods of time? Because of what you said a long time ago. You told me that I was powerful enough that nobody could truly stop me from doing what I wanted to do. You were right, and outside of these village walls there are no laws that apply to me. It has been liberating."

I felt my eyes widened. "You're a criminal."

Orochimaru snorted. "When you have killed over a thousand men Kagura, you learn to realize that it doesn't matter if they're wearing the enemy's uniform or not. We all become criminals the moment we make our first kills."

I looked down at Itachi's bracelet, where its lone Sharingan tomoe stared back at me. "I don't know if I want to follow you, Sensei."

"Don't you want to become strong? Isn't that your goal? To realize your potential?" Orochimaru said, cocking his head and sounding genuinely confused.

"Yes," I said immediately.

"Then follow me. You know as well as I do that it's your only option. Who else can teach you? Jiraiya? That buffoon's almost never in the village, and he's still moping about after Minato's death. Don't tell me you want some plain old regular Jounin to be your teacher. I can make you strong Kagura, powerful beyond belief, and should you ever become stronger than me," he seemed fascinated just by saying it, "I'll let you go without a word."

I stared at him for a very long time, letting his words sink in. He was right. There had been so many things I could have prevented if I had just been a bit more powerful. My loss to Yagura. The Kyuubi attack, almost one whole year ago. Even now, I couldn't say no to Orochimaru because I just wasn't strong enough.

"Kagura. I'm your teacher, don't you trust me?" Orochimaru sounded almost genial.

Slightly reluctantly, I nodded. "I trust you Sensei, but on one condition."

He raised an eyebrow.

"If you ever lose interest in me, you'll let me go, just like that. I promise not to tell anyone anything."

Orochimaru looked thoughtful.

"I'm your student, Sensei. Don't you trust me?" I said, feeling my lips morph into the first smile of the day.

"Fine," Orochimaru said. "Now, let's go."

This time, when he started running, I followed him, my mind still remembering the small wave I'd given to Itachi before this entire mess.

I wished I'd gotten to say goodbye to Kushina.

* * *

Kakashi's heart plummeted the moment he walked into Kagura's room.

It was empty. It wasn't just the lack of the ten-year-old boy. It lacked something every home should have had.

A personal touch.

No memorabilia. No photos. Nothing that gave away the personality of its inhabitant. He'd been to Kagura's home before, and while sparse, Kakashi knew such items existed. Now they were gone. The only thing out of place was the empty fish bowl by his bedside, and Kakashi was instantly reminded of the time he and Rin brought Kagura to the festival in his first year here where he'd gotten the fish and its tank.

He winced at the painful memory.

With a single glance of his room, Kakashi knew that Kagura's actions had been voluntary. In a way, this was Kagura's goodbye to him.

He shoved all personal feelings aside. He was on a mission. 'Track down Orochimaru and Kagura', the Sandaime had ordered him. He bit on his thumb until it drew blood. Hopefully, Kagura hadn't been forward-thinking enough to wash his bed sheets.

* * *

I'd never seen Orochimaru fight for real until today. Only now did I understand why the Sannin were so powerful they seemed to be in a league of their own.

I was slow. My ten-year old body couldn't handle tree-hopping for long distances. So Orochimaru piggy-backed me instead. Any feeling of humiliation vanished when the first ANBU squad appeared out of nowhere, wearing empty and blank masks, unleashing a torrent of kunai and shuriken at us.

A single hand-seal was all my teacher needed to blow out a gust of air strong enough to repel the entire onslaught and reflect it back towards them. One of them was too slow to react and got stabbed in the gut by her own Kunai. Her scream was silenced by the sound of a tree branch breaking and then a loud thud.

The other three didn't even appear fazed. They formed a new formation, their fingers running through hand-seals faster than my eyes could follow.

"Don't fall off," Orochimaru instructed.

I adjusted my limbs as he let go off me. My arms were draped over his shoulders and my legs wrapped right above his waist. He started forming his own hand-seals when an air bullet, a lightning spear, and a fireball were launched towards us.

Orochimaru barely even slowed down. Instantly, a giant wall of water came spitting out of his mouth, and when the attacks collided, it created a giant mist cloud that covered the entire area we were in.

"I think you know what to do," Orochimaru said wryly.

I nodded my head. I realized that this was my first real fight, and sharpened my senses and focused my mind on staying alive. I formed the necessary hand-seals, building up a sizeable amount of chakra.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu."

Instantly, a denser fog was expelled out of my mouth, and I kept the Jutsu up until all the trees around us vanished into an impenetrable white screen.

"How many Shadow Clones can you make?" Orochimaru asked.

"Ten," I replied. My chakra reserves had more than doubled since I was seven, no doubt a result of having the Sanbi sealed within me.

"Make four of them."

I did as I was told, and Orochimaru made four clones of his own. They quickly paired up, and I was surrounded by complete mirror images of myself, each one clinging onto an Orochimaru of their own.

"You can sense where they are, right?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Okay. Instruct your clones to tell mine their locations. Once they've been disposed of, we'll split off, hopefully, we'll be able to shake off our pursuers this way."

A mental nudge was all I needed to do, and my clones began to whisper into the ears of their Orochimarus. Then they disappeared into the fog. I could sense where they were, and they were circling the three ANBU agents who had unwisely huddled themselves together at the center of the mist.

One by one, their heat and chakra signatures vanished.

"Let's go."

The sudden feeling of wind brushing past my face was the only indication that we were moving. The fog was still too thick to see our surroundings, so I really had no idea how Orochimaru knew how to navigate through it.

I was excited.

* * *

Kakashi knew what the plain white masks meant.

Root.

So even Danzo was chipping in to help with the pursuit. When he'd first entered ANBU, Minato-sensei had warned him of Root and the inhumane training they went through under Danzo. They were an efficient and effective combat unit, but could not really do much outside their mission scopes.

Under the Third's rule, Danzo's little group was considered an unofficial independent unit, so Kakashi was surprised to see them involved. He was, however, not surprised to see them dead. Orochimaru was just that powerful.

The remnants of a Hiding in the Mist Jutsu still clung into the air. Pakkun landed in front of him.

"They created clones here. There are five paths. Which one do we follow?"

Kakashi frowned. There was an ANBU team already hot on his heels to offer him support, but he was well-aware of the fact that a few opportune seconds were all Orochimaru needed to slip away and never be seen again.

"Whichever one has the least amount of blood in their scent," he ordered.

Pakkun nodded and leaped off again, Kakashi following behind.

If he knew Orochimaru, the Sannin probably wouldn't bother killing Root members when he could have his clones do it for them.

They never even stood a chance.

* * *

My first kill was almost underwhelming.

We were ambushed by ANBU, once again, though judging by the grin on Orochimaru's face, he'd already known about them beforehand. An ANBU had dropped down right behind me, holding his sword and ready to bisect me, and I instinctively sent a barrage of shards at his face.

His bird-shaped mask promptly shattered, exposing a face drilled with over a dozen holes, a few of which sat where the brain would have been. Blood had leaked out of them, and the man then collapsed backwards, still slack-jawed in surprise. When I recalled the shards, they were red and bloody, and I made a mental note to clean them lest they rust.

And that was that; Orochimaru and I left the corpse of my first kill behind with his teammates, not even speaking about it as we continued to run.

After hours of running, I could tell we were nearing the edge of the Fire Country when the trees started to get further and further apart, and smaller as well. We dropped to the ground, tree-hopping no longer a viable option.

Now I actually had to run, and it was tiring for me to keep up with Orochimaru's speed, even with my Jinchuuriki stamina.

Orochimaru came to a sudden stop, something I was thankful for. It was a good thing I didn't have many things to bring with me; I definitely wouldn't have been able to maintain the pace with a heavier backpack. Still, we weren't out of the woods yet, literally. "Sensei?" I asked.

He raised a hand. "You can come out now, Kakashi-kun."

I blinked in surprise. A lone figure emerged from the undergrowth, and though Kakashi's face was hidden behind a mask that resembled a dog, his spiky white-hair confirmed his identity.

"Orochimaru-sama. By the order of the Third Hokage, you and your apprentice are to return to Konoha at once."

His voice was neutral. It sounded detached and robotic.

"Oh?" Orochimaru said with mirth. "Have I not been branded a missing-nin yet?"

Kakashi shook his head. "The Hokage is willing to give you a chance to explain yourself."

"There's nothing to explain," he said coldly. Then he turned to me. "Kagura. Kill him."

To say I was surprised at the order would be an understatement. Even the small shiver Kakashi made indicated his disbelief. Amid the flurry of emotions that responded, practicality emerged victorious.

"Sensei. He's ANBU and a Jounin."

The odds did not look to be in my favor.

"You've killed ANBU before," Orochimaru said with a shrug.

Kakashi's stiff reaction went almost unnoticed by me. Almost. "Kagura," Kakashi said in a warning tone. "Don't do this. I'm sure the Hokage will be willing to pardon you. You're still innocent, I believe in that, and so does the Hokage."

"Indeed he is," Orochimaru said slyly. "Which is why this the perfect chance for you to show me the resolve you have for being my student and becoming strong. Show me that Konoha means nothing to you."

"Rin would be disappointed in you."

In the face of his dismayed voice, I told him the only thing I could—the truth. "I don't care."

The mist came billowing out of my mouth just before he hurled a volley of shuriken at me. I drew on the power of the Sanbi and a wall of coral emerged in front of me, blocking the attack. Kakashi had the Sharingan; the Hiding in the Mist Jutsu nullified that somewhat, but it couldn't have been the only thing he had. He'd managed to track us after all, and believing he was just lucky was foolhardy.

I created two more shadow clones, feeling my chakra reserves begin to fall greatly. I didn't want to rely on the Sanbi's chakra too much. Losing control of myself now would be the worst possible idea. Kakashi's movements immediately stopped when my clones began to circle him, and I knew that my ploy had worked.

This was something I'd always wanted to test on a more experienced Ninja.

There were still plenty of leaves and grass around, and I began to diffuse some chakra from the mist into them. Within moments, they became my weapons. Hundreds of them, and it took me a little longer to organize them and disseminate my instruction to them. While doing this, my clones continued to harass Kakashi, altering their distance and direction to mislead him.

The improvised projectiles carried out my will perfectly. Blades of grass straightened and erupted from the dirt, while sharpened leaves tore themselves away from the trees that birthed them. Like a blizzard, they pelted him, assaulting him from every direction. His reflexes bought him a few seconds, a quick leap into air saving him from the first wave. A Kawarimi Jutsu narrowly pulled him away from the flight path of the second. A Great Fireball Jutsu completely incinerated the third.

The fourth wave slammed into him with the force of a cart, and there was a scream of pain as Kakashi was suddenly impaled by over three dozen of my Petal Stars. It wouldn't have killed him immediately, but I still expected him to collapse or to be incapacitated some what.

What I didn't expect was for him to completely vanish, his chakra signature completely disappearing from the mist.

Did...did Kakashi know the Hiraishin?

The ground beneath me trembled ever so slightly, and I automatically leaped away.

I was just in time too, because a lightning-coated arm burst through the soil, and Kakashi emerged, completely unscathed, his jutsu accompanied by the sound of a thousand chirping birds. A clone, I realized. I'd been chasing a clone the whole time.

I cursed my naivety as I put more distance between us. Kakashi was a veteran of a Shinobi War. Obviously, he'd fought Kiri Shinobi before. Learning to counter the Hiding in the Mist Jutsu had been a necessity for him. He'd probably created the clone and burrowed underground the moment he saw me activate the Jutsu. The sensory technique that came with my Jutsu didn't extend beneath the mist, after all.

"That is a very dangerous combination of Jutsus you have Kagura," Kakashi said warily. "Had I not escaped from the very start, I would be dead."

I saw no reason to reply to him. We were fighting after all, and Kakashi had a Jutsu active while I didn't. I quickly rectified that, adjusting the concentration of the mist, moving all the water particles to separate me from Kakashi, at the same time ordering my clones to buy time for me to get away. I'd seen how fast he could move with that Jutsu before, when he killed Satoshi on my first day in Konoha.

My clones were quickly dispelled, but I was now out of sight. It didn't matter very much though; Kakashi was honing in on my location at an alarming speed. I had only seconds to think of a counterplan.

Focus, Kagura, focus.

I could already hear the crackling of electricity.

What is Kakashi's weakness?

The answer hit me immediately. I had only a moment to feel guilt and regret before putting my plan into motion. Ninjas fought dirty, and those who couldn't accept that would pay with their lives.

Sorry, Kakashi.

Sorry, Rin.

* * *

Kagura had made a mistake sending both clones to distract him. At least with one left, the boy could have used it as bait to buy a few more seconds to escape. But now that Kakashi's nose was honed in on his scent, there was no way he was going to lose track of him.

The only uncertainty now was Orochimaru, though from what he could tell, the Sannin hadn't moved since the start of the battle. He had thought the Sannin would use his apprentice as a diversion to make his own escape, but that didn't seem to be the case. In fact, that would have been preferable for him, because the Third Hokage's orders had been clear. "The retrieval of Karatachi Kagura takes priority over the capture of Orochimaru."

"Dead or alive."

Naturally, the Hokage would have preferred a living, breathing Kagura, but after seeing his clone get utterly demolished, Kakashi wasn't going to leave anything to chance. The boy's telepathic control of his improvised projectiles would make keeping him alive that much more harder.

He wouldn't underestimate the boy. He knew just how talented he was. He'd read the reports and the boy was slated to match, and even surpass, the Sannin. There were rumors among the higher-ups that Minato-sensei had intended to groom him as a potential successor. And all that didn't even consider the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki. But that didn't matter now, because Karatachi Kagura was a traitor.

It was why he was going straight for the kill, though Orochimaru's presence forced him to constantly divert a bit of his attention.

His nose crinkled. The boy's scent was getting significantly stronger. Had he stopped moving?

He reared his hand back, getting ready to strike at the ten-year-old boy, wanting to give him a quick and painless death at the very least. He was almost glad that Kushina-neesan was in a coma, because he knew how much she cherished him. And here Kakashi had thought Kagura cared for her as well, but clearly the boy's loyalty lay somewhere else.

The mist parted before him to present his target to him on a silver platter.

Except...he wasn't Kagura.

She wasn't Kagura.

Chestnut-colored hair that was cut short, a Konoha forehead protector covering her bangs.

He stilled his hand.

Brown-colored eyes that sparkled at him, complimenting the cheeky grin she wore that displayed her perfect teeth.

His feet skidded to a halt.

Purple warpaint on her cheeks which she always asked him to refer to as 'make-up' instead of the former.

The Chidori sputtered out of existence. There was no way he was ever going to activate that Jutsu in her presence. Not again.

"Kakashi-kun."

A soft and mellow voice. One he had found himself waking up to many times. He reached out with his hand.

"Rin." His whisper was nearly inaudible, even to himself. At the last moment, he faltered. Was he...was he really worthy to touch her?

He'd killed her.

His eyes widened in realization.

He'd killed her.

But it was too late, and he grunted in pain when he felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. The very same hand that had healed countless of his injuries was holding a kunai that was now embedded just below his navel.

He tried to ignite another Chidori, but he couldn't bring himself to. Not when the world was spinning and when pain was starting to spread across every fiber of his being. He took several steps back, his hands clawing at the knife buried into his small intestine. He still had enough lucidity not to remove it, because that would have only made him die faster.

Slowly, Nohara Rin melted away before him to reveal Karatachi Kagura. He was not smiling. He did not look triumphant. His eyes were cold. Purposeless. Almost inhuman. He was standing there, looking at him with a gaze Kakashi could only describe as dispassionate.

Rage and anger overwhelmed him. How dare he?

After all the kindness and love Rin had shown for him, how dare he? He was a monster, one even worse than the one sealed within him. A child capable of turning the most precious of memories into nightmares. Blood leaked out of the hand clutching over his stab wound, and Kakashi found himself clenching his other hand tightly. Kagura was the unworthy one. He did not deserve the affection Rin had given to him. She should've let him die in the hospital all those countless times he landed there.

No, he immediately banished the thought. Rin would have never murdered someone in a sacred place of healing. She was above that. Kakashi would have had to do it for her.

Spots began to appear in his vision. There was a good chance Kagura had pierced a blood vessel.

This wasn't good. He was going bleed out.

He felt his legs become jelly, and they quickly gave way. He closed his eyes, more than ready to embrace the cold dirt that would become his final resting place.

At the very least, he would be with Rin again.

And Minato-sensei.

And Obito.

But he never hit the ground.

A pair of arms caught him.

"Captain, are you alright?"

* * *

"Captain, are you alright?"

I froze.

It wasn't the words.

It was the voice.

I'd only last heard it in the morning, but so much had happened that it took me more than a moment to recognize it.

The long ponytail, trailing down her back.

The twin Sharingan eyes that seemed to blaze red when she turned to look at me.

Uchiha Itachi, wearing her ANBU mask, helped Kakashi to his feet, looking at me with indifference. At least, I felt that it was indifference. The animal mask on her face certainly wasn't helping me read her emotions.

Another three ANBU members appeared, forming a protective barrier around Kakashi.

"Karatachi Kagura."

Her voice was monotonous and soft. I instantly took several steps back. Uchiha Itachi was now my enemy, I reminded myself. She was ANBU. I was a traitor.

"Your presence is requested by the Hokage. Surrender yourself to us at once."

I increased my distance.

I tried to avoid eye contact, knowing that a few seconds of eye contact were all she needed to cast a Genjutsu on me.

"Please."

Hearing her utter those words and extending an arm made me suddenly feel like I'd been stabbed. Except it wasn't a sharp sting of pain, but a dull, throbbing sensation that seemed to grow in my chest. She wasn't ordering me. She was pleading to me.

I sorely wanted to go up to her and take her hand. Against my own logic, I looked at her eyes. They were glimmering, and I knew that those unshed tears weren't pooling from joy.

I hated this.

"I'm sorry Itachi."

I hated myself for doing this to her.

"But I have to get stronger."

I turned away. Because in this world, you could only grasp the things you wanted if you had enough power.

The giant snake that Orochimaru summoned immediately after made sure our escape went uninterrupted.

I tried to pretend I didn't hear Itachi screaming my name.

* * *

"I see," Hiruzen said, taking a long puff from his pipe. He hadn't stopped smoking it since the afternoon, when a trip to one of Orochimaru's labs had revealed far more than he'd ever wanted to learn. "So they both escaped."

Standing in the center of his office, Uchiha Itachi nodded. Hiruzen took note of the dried tear stains on her cheeks but said nothing of it. In time, she would learn to control her tears.

Just like he had.

Five ANBU dead. Three critically injured, including Hatake Kakashi. Six whole squads of ROOT completely wiped out. He could almost feel Danzo's irritation from where the man stood across his table.

"I had thought sending you of all people would have dissuaded him from following Orochimaru. I guess I was wrong," he mused somberly.

The ten-year-old girl stiffened. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. I failed."

He forced a smile upon his lips to comfort her. "It is not your fault. Neither is it completely Kagura's. Nobody could have predicted Orochimaru's defection and no one can blame him for choosing to follow his mentor. If anything, the blame lies with me as the teacher for not realizing the change in Orochimaru's heart." His shoulders slumped.

He did not know where things had all gone wrong. Orochimaru had been so bright, and while socially awkward, his care for his teammates had been visible when Nawaki and Dan had died. His fight to have Anko be his apprentice instead of being reassigned to another team had showed that the man was capable of forming bonds.

He had been so full of promise, and had Minato declined the offer of Hokage, Hiruzen would have slept well knowing that Konoha would still be in Orochimaru's capable hands.

Except it hadn't been the case, and the heated argument with his student following Minato's confirmation haunted him briefly. He should've known since then.

His wallowing in the past was interrupted by Danzo clearing his throat. "Hokage-sama." Hiruzen could hear just how hard Danzo had to force himself to say those words. "I believe that the greater problem here is the betrayal of Orochimaru, not his apprentice. He is one of the Sannin, one of our strongest Shinobi. But the biggest problem isn't the loss of his strength. Orochimaru is currently the biggest security breach in our village's history. Our undercover agents. Our safehouses. Weaknesses in our village defenses. All of these are at risk of falling into enemy hands!"

Hiruzen took another drag of his pipe. He knew all this of course, and certainly didn't need to hear it from Danzo. But something had to be made clear. "We didn't lose Orochimaru. Orochimaru lost himself the moment he decided his research was more important than the lives of the innocent. The people we lost were his victims, and the young impressionable child that was taken under his wing. Young Kagura was destined for great things in this village, and now we have lost his potential because I entrusted him to the wrong man."

Danzo slammed his fist onto his table in a violent display of anger. "Forget the child! Something has to be done about Orochimaru! Do you realize that his defection is an existential threat to our village?!"

Hiruzen paused. Smiling weakly at Itachi, he beckoned towards the door. "Thank you for the report Itachi. You can leave now."

Hesitantly, she nodded, quickly disappearing out of sight and closing the door behind her.

"I'm waiting," Danzo said impatiently, after a few moments of silence.

"Alone, Orochimaru is no threat to Konoha. There is me. There is Tsunade. There is Jiraiya. In a few years, even Hatake Kakashi and Itachi will be able to fend him off."

"He could sell the information he knows to other nations! He could re-align himself with some other village that is willing to put up with his inhumane research!" Danzo quickly retorted.

"Such things take time. We will be able to adapt and improve our existing plans. But with Kagura at his side, Orochimaru becomes far more dangerous on his own."

Danzo looked confused. "I do not understand. Is the boy's talent so prodigious? I believed him to be on the same level as Itachi."

Knowing that this was the last chance to keep the cat in the bag, Hiruzen waited for a few precious seconds, considering his options. This was his mistake, he decided, and he had to take responsibility for it.

"It's not just his talent. Karatachi Kagura is also the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi."

And with that once sentence, Danzo took several steps back, leaning his whole body on his cane. He sunk himself into the nearest chair, his eye wide in disbelief. "Jin...chuuriki?"

Hiruzen nodded. That was why his priority had always been Kagura. With Tsunade too busy trying to save Anko's life, there was nobody who could stop Orochimaru. His escape had almost been guaranteed. But Kagura was a different story. He hadn't reached that kind of strength yet, but more importantly, Hiruzen had thought the bonds he'd built in the village would have been enough to make him reconsider. His latter assumption had been proven wrong, and given Kakashi's current state, he was starting to have doubts on his former one as well.

Danzo stood up slowly, having finally finished reassessing the situation. There had been a mixture of panic and shock at first, but all of that was now replaced with anger. "Hiruzen." The man was seething. "I cannot believe you could have made such a mistake."

He said nothing as Danzo slammed the door on his way out.

He couldn't believe it either.

* * *

She had been in a coma for three days. Her entire body still hurt, and it felt as if her blood had been replaced with lava. She felt tired. She felt weak. She felt utterly destroyed.

She had first found out from the nurses gossiping outside her door.

She knew that Orochimaru had carried her bloodsoaked and unresponsive form to the hospital in a frenzied rush. She knew that Tsunade had worked tirelessly on her for over five hours, and even then she had barely come out alive.

The rest she refused to believe.

It was only when the Third Hokage came down himself to visit her and broke the news to her did she finally allow herself to cry. And cry like a baby she did, and right into the Hokage's chest as well.

Even now, she was still in a state of denial. She was still waiting for Orochimaru and Kagura to walk in, flowers in Kagura's hands and a scowl on Orochimaru's face, telling her it was just one giant practical joke to scare her. She refused to allow the hourly ANBU check up dissuade her from that notion.

Things would go back to normal.

Mitarashi Anko would be discharged from the hospital soon, and she would go back to being Orochimaru's apprentice and the Sempai of Karatachi Kagura.

A masked ANBU poked his head through the door, and she resisted the urge to scream and throw her pillow at his face.

When he left, she forced herself up on her feet. There was only one person Anko knew in the hospital she could talk to.

And that was only because she wouldn't be able to talk back.

* * *

I dropped my backpack on the floor and nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

Eight hours of nonstop running. Looking down at me, Orochimaru looked unimpressed. "We're going to have work on your physical fitness," he said.

I silently agreed.

A single glance at our new hideout told me that Orochimaru had been planning his defection for quite a while. The place was clean, well-stocked with living facilities and state-of-the-art scientific equipment. The only thing that differentiated it from an ordinary hideout was the giant statue of a snake, with candles in its eye sockets. And according to him, this was only his "nearest base".

"Take a shower. Freshen up. Be ready to move out in thirty minutes."

Still gasping for air, it took me a moment to come up with a reply. "Where are we going?"

Orochimaru seemed to puff out his chest in pride. "We're going to meet your new teammates. Welcome to Otogakure, Kagura."

* * *

Uchiha Mikoto was at a loss. This hadn't happened before.

She had always known that, deep down, Itachi was an extremely emotional person.

But Itachi wore the Uchiha mask of stoicism well, and normally had the mental maturity to control herself and her feelings.

Except now her ten-year-old daughter was crying into her lap.

"It's not your fault. You tried your best, and it didn't work. Sometimes things just happen that way," Mikoto consoled her, stroking her hair. She could feel her daughter's tears soaking into her dress. The girl's fingers were scrunching up the material, and Mikoto knew that Kagura's defection had hurt Itachi more than anything else so far.

It made her want to hate the boy.

Yet, somehow she couldn't bring herself to. She'd spoken to him countless times. She'd seen the dedication he had for Kushina. The affection he had for Itachi. Even his concern for Izumi had brought joy to her heart. The boy had been a keeper, someone she would have gladly accepted into her family if his relationship with Itachi had been given time to bloom.

It had to be Orochimaru's fault. He would pay for breaking her daughter's heart.

"I'll bring him back." Itachi had mumbled the words softly, her face still pressed against the fabric of Mikoto's clothes, but the sheer determination behind her words carried it to Mikoto's ears. "I'm going to get stronger, and I'm going bring Kagura back to the village."

Mikoto couldn't bear to tell her that it was almost a lost cause. Instead, she continued to comb Itachi's hair with her fingers. Missing-nins rarely returned. At least, not alive.

Mikoto could only let out a depressed sigh when Itachi blew her nose into the silk.

"He said he needed more power. I don't understand, wasn't he happy here?"

Mikoto could only pull her in for a hug. "Sometimes, Itachi...sometimes people don't know what they have until they lose it."

"But what if Kagura doesn't want to come back?"

Mikoto embraced her tighter, but this time she hadn't the heart to say anything at all.

* * *

After crying and bawling her eyes and heart out to the unconscious Uzumaki Kushina, it was all Anko could do to hold her hand and rest her head on the redhead's bed. She wondered how Kushina would react to news of Kagura's betrayal. She didn't know the woman well enough to tell if she would be distraught or livid.

Personally, Anko was devastated.

They'd been a family, the three of them. Her family.

She was upset that they had abandoned Konoha.

But she was heartbroken that they had abandoned her.

"I don't know what to do," she mumbled to herself, squeezing Kushina's hand.

The hand squeezed back.

Anko immediately sat up, stunned to see Kushina's head turned towards her, her eyes blinking open wearily, a weak smile on her face.

"Do what, Anko-chan?"

Anko threw a quick glance at the stack of cards and gifts at the table, seeing her own mixed into the pile. The last thing this woman had remembered was fighting the Kyuubi and watching her husband die in front of her. Of all the times to wake up...

Damn it, Kushina didn't need this. Kagura, that idiot! WHY DID HE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW OF ALL TIMES?!

She flung herself towards Kushina, tightly pulling her into a hug even when she felt Kushina jerk her body in surprise. She didn't have a choice. The person who should've been giving her the hug wasn't in the village anymore, and wouldn't be back for a long, long time.

"Damn it Kagura, it should be you doing this," she whispered to herself, hoping Kushina couldn't hear her.

When Kushina hesitantly returned her hug, Anko embraced her even tighter. She knew the woman was going to need it when everything hit her. And when Kushina did finally learn about it, Anko was going to be there to share the pain with her.

Goddamnit, she was going to cry again.

"Anko, is something wrong?"

"Everything. Everything's gone wrong, Kushina-san," Anko said, finally releasing the woman.

The woman looked baffled. She looked down, causing Anko to do the same.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Anko quickly apologized, realizing she was sitting on the redhead's legs.

"It's okay," Kushina said cheerfully. "I didn't feel anything."

The smile immediately dropped from her face.

Anko instantly knew something was wrong when her lips started to quiver and her face began to pale.

"Anko, I can't feel my legs at all."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Alright, shit has hit the fan. I didn't want to rush this chapter. In fact, I procrastinated on it so much I even wrote a 34k Danmachi/Campione Fic so I could pace myself. That story is doing surprisingly well, so do check it out if you haven't already!**

 **Anyway, if the Unlucky Twin was a real book, I guess this would be where the first book ends? Thanks for walking this journey together with me and Kagura 3**

 **Anyway, I would really appreciate if you guys could leave a review for this chapter, because I really want to hear from you all, who have stuck by me and my sub-par writing all this time, on how you guys feel about this new direction of the Unlucky Twin. Even if you guys want to drop the fic afterwards, just let me know and I'll understand.**

 **As always, do leave a favourite and a follow if you like this story, because they really are great confidence boosters!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Paulzies**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Soooooo. This took a while. A very long while. BUT, it's finally here. Thanks for staying with me this far guys, and I hope you guys are willing to stick with me a little longer!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20:**

I could almost hear the rest snickering at me, from wherever they had chosen to hide themselves, as I walked into the estate of the target.

It was nearly suffocating to walk in a kimono, especially one made for girls, but given that this was a fancy party the nobleman was throwing, I had little choice in attire if I wanted to blend in. And to add insult to injury, there was all the _makeup_.

There were layers and layers caked onto my face, with all kinds of colors and undertones. Guren had taken it upon herself to make it feel like my face was caked with mud in her efforts to help me achieve beauty worthy of nobility.

 _'Stop moving! You need to look pretty, Kagura! Or no one will believe you're the heiress of a noble clan!'_

It was obvious she had enjoyed herself, no doubt seeing the endeavor as some kind of petty revenge for all the times I'd defeated her in training.

"Invitation?" When a guard suddenly stopped me, I made a slightly displeased face, hoping to portray the persona of spoiled noble girl. Learning the voice had been the hardest.

I pull out an ornate scroll. "I'm the heiress of the Yamazaki Clan. My parents are unwell. They have sent me in their stead." In truth all three members of the Yamazaki clan were knocked out with sleeping pills, assuming Jirobo had done his part well. Then again, I had a sneaking suspicion that the lazy boy had simply killed them.

The guard took a good look at the invitation, leveled a bored look at my face and then let me through. It was almost insulting how easy it was. It wasn't a testament to how good Guren's skill with makeup was, but simply another reminder that despite being thirteen years old now, I could easily pass off for a girl four years younger. I wondered if Yagura, like me, still retained a childlike appearance.

I followed another family into the main manor, paying particular attention to how I walked. Impersonation and stealth had been the first thing Orochimaru had drilled into me since deserting Konoha, and his "survival outweighs victory" approach wasn't something I could really argue against. It had been difficult to mimic the gait and poise of a girl that could only be described as 'nobility-in-training,' but after hours of observation, the fact that no one paid me a second look meant that my efforts had paid off.

This was an assassination, the subtle kind. Our target's death was meant to be treated as an unforeseen accident—an event that would have people mourning, but not investigating. Otogakure was still in its developmental stages, and Orochimaru wanted to draw as little attention as possible to the budding village.

This particular nobleman had been sticking his nose into places it didn't belong, and someone wanted him dead. I wasn't sure how Orochimaru managed to secure these contracts while keeping a low profile, but then again, there were a lot of things about him I still didn't know.

The main atrium was bustling with people dressed in expensive-looking clothes. The host, my target, was a pudgy bald man lounging on a sofa, who seemed more interested in his food than the small crowd of guests who wanted to talk to him.

Perfect.

"I'd like to have a cup of tea," I told a passing waitress, gesturing to the only non-alcoholic beverage on her tray. Her ensuing smile looked forced, but she handed the cup to me anyway.

With that, the assassination finally began.

I took a few sips as I walked around the place. Unlike in ninja villages, people in civilian settlements seemed fond of displaying their wealth for all to see. It seemed rather silly to me, like painting a big bulls-eye on your property, and regularly opening your house for parties only made it easier for potential pillagers to get away with thievery.

Or in my case, murder.

I'd finally reached my destination; the manor was a lot bigger than I'd thought, and finding the kitchen took me a surprising amount of time.

Without knocking, I walked right in, causing the occupants within to stop whatever they were doing, their attention stolen away by the sight of an unknown girl walking into their workplace as if she owned it.

I raised my cup. "Who makes the tea?" I asked.

Slowly, a woman wearing an apron in the corner raised her hand. She had an apprehensive look, and I walked towards her with as much confidence as I could muster. The other chefs, all working on platters of exquisite-looking dishes, returned to their work.

"It's delicious," I said with a smile as I neared her, causing her to look relieved.

"Thank you. I grow the tea leaves myself," she admitted.

"Really?" I said, trying to sound as intrigued and innocent as possible. "No wonder it tastes so different from anything I've tried!"

"Your words are too kind, madam."

It was a little strange for a woman in her thirties to sound so respectful towards someone not even half her age, but just like how ninjas ruled ninja villages, I supposed nobility ruled places like this.

"Could I perhaps take some of your tea leaves home? I find it such a shame that my parents are unable to have a taste of this. They are quite enamored with tea the way some people are with wine."

It surprised me when the woman blushed a little. "I'd be honored if you did, madam. My name is Shitori Kanna, if your parents would like to contact me in the future."

As she prepared a small bag of tea leaves for me, I realized she was trying to solicit business from my non-existent family. I realized that among everyone in the kitchen, her clothes were the most tatty. Her services were probably not very high in demand; tea could be bought after all.

As she handed the parcel to me, I pulled out a small pouch of coins—something I'd prepared in the event I'd needed to bribe anyone—and pressed it into her palm. "I can't accept it for free. Please do take this."

She was at a loss of words, but unfortunately I didn't have time to wait for a response. I was on a mission after all.

I quickly left the kitchen, pouring a few tea leaves into my palm as I did so.

They were long dead and almost dried up, and thus they wouldn't be able to store much chakra. But it was alright—I didn't need them to store that much in the first place.

I returned to the main atrium only to find that my target was still where I'd left him, gorging himself on his food. I did a quick walk-by to make sure his cup still had some tea in it, which it did.

It took a long time, but with perfect control of both my patience and my chakra, I managed to slip three chakra-imbued tea leaves into his cup unnoticed.

When he took a sip, I triggered the Petal Star Jutsu, sending all three of them down his throat. And now, it was only a matter of time before he took another bite.

His eyes suddenly went wide, and his fingers began to claw at his throat. He made heaving actions, but no sound came out of his mouth.

"He's choking!" someone said in alarm, running over.

I had to pretend to look shocked as well, even as I fought to keep the smirk off my lips.

 _The body Orochimaru brings in still has the kunai that killed him lodged between his eyes._

 _Orochimaru calls me over. "We are having a quick anatomy lesson, Kagura," he declares, expertly slicing up the cadaver's throat._

 _I quickly run over. Blood gushes all over the improvised operating table and I wince when I realize I will be the one cleaning the mess up. When the flow of blood ends, Orochimaru tilts the head to reveal a cross section of a human neck I've only seen in textbooks._

 _"This is the epiglottis," Orochimaru says disinterestedly as he points to flap of tissue. "It closes up when you're swallowing so your food doesn't end up in your windpipe."_

 _It is a brief lesson, because the next thing Orochimaru does is to stick the entire length of his hand down the man's gullet. When he pulls it out, he's holding a scroll. The man must have swallowed it before dying._

 _"Take care of this," Orochimaru orders._

It wasn't a very informative lesson, but it was enough. My tea leaves were currently forcing the man's epiglottis open, diverting the meat bun he just ate into his windpipe instead.

Nobody would ever suspect choking on food to be a means of murder.

It took slightly more than a minute, but my target finally stopped moving, despite the attempts of bystanders to clear his airway. No amount of back-slapping was going to save him, not when chakra was involved. A hushed silence descended among the crowd. Suddenly someone burst through the first row of onlookers, and a girl no older than I was rushed to my target's side, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

I took that as my cue to leave.

No one told me he had a daughter.

* * *

The makeup took forever to remove.

Guren folded her arms and leaned against the door. "The four of them still can't guess how you did it. They keep thinking it's poison."

I shrugged. "Maybe it is."

She gave me a pointed look. "I saw you slip the tea leaves into his cup."

"And I thought was being sneaky," I said, pretending to sound hurt.

"It helps that I know what I'm looking for."

Our short conversation was interrupted when four children brushed past Guren and surrounded me.

"How'd you do that, Kagura?" Tayuya, the red-headed girl asked.

I shot her a glare.

She gulped. "Kagura- _senpai_ ," she amended.

Out of the Sound Four, Orochimaru's handpicked elite among the abducted children, Tayuya was the only one I had a hand in retrieving.

 _The woman coughs out a wad of blood as she somehow finds the strength to look me in the eye. For someone that has seven kunai embedded in their torso, there is a surprising amount of life in her eyes. Behind her, her house burns and with it, the remains of her decapitated husband are reduced to ashes._

 _They had put up a good fight, but Orochimaru's orders had been clear. Only the child was to be kept alive and taken to him along with the Flute. They had not expected an eleven-year-old boy to be their executioner and had thus let down their guards, a mistake they certainly won't have a chance to repeat again._

 _"Tayuya. Her name is Tayuya," she manages to say._

 _I look down at the unconscious red-haired toddler in my arms. A quick genjutsu and Orochimaru will ensure none of her memories before this night remain._

 _I look back at the woman. There is no more fight left in her eyes, only a pleading look._

 _"I'll make sure she knows that," I promise her._

 _I let the woman die while holding on to her daughter's tiny hand._

I wondered what her life would have been like if I hadn't interfered. She'd probably be a Kusa-nin, like her parents were, but at least she'd have a real family.

"It has to be poison!" Jirobo declared haughtily. "Kagura didn't even touch the guy once!"

Tayuya shot me a look, annoyed that I let her plump compatriot call me by name. I shrugged. I only bothered enforcing it with Tayuya because...well, because she reminded me a little bit of Anko, and my senior had put me through hell with the whole 'senpai' honorific thing.

"It's not poison," I say calmly, looking out the window.

Someone's there, I signed to Guren, who pretended not to see anything. Her fingers slipping into her pocket were the only indication she received my message.

"Then what is it?!" Sakon asked impatiently.

"I didn't do anything," I said casually. "He choked before I got the chance to do anything. I got lucky."

"Yeah, right," Kidomaru scoffed. "There are no such things as coincidences in the ninja world. That's the first thing Orochimaru-sama said to us."

The kunai was already in my hand and pointed right at Kidomaru's throat. "You idiot!" I seethed. And here I thought Guren had instructed them on how to behave outside of Otogakure. The semblance of pride I had felt yesterday at seeing the results of their training was completely gone. Such idiocy could have compromised the mission if he'd slipped up under different circumstances.

But it was already too late. The rustling of leaves was all the warning we got before we found ourselves surrounded by four Konoha-nin.

Three male, one female, all at least Chunin-leveled.

The kunoichi had a katana in her hands, and it was pointing straight at me. "You're the leader, aren't you? State your relationship with Orochimaru!"

Judging by the air of authority she had, she was the squad captain. And judging by the sheer amount of venom in her voice, Konoha hadn't forgotten about my teacher's crimes.

I let out a small sigh. "Me? Leader? I wish. Guren-sama there," I nudged my head towards a smirking Guren, "is our leader."

The small moment of distraction when she turned her head was all I needed. She fell to the ground, dead, her once-pretty face now pockmarked with holes left behind from my metal shards.

The other three immediately diverted their attention to me, a big mistake because crystal pillars erupted from the ground, instantly killing two of them and impaling the third in his thigh.

"Now then." I squatted in front of him, recalling the metal shards back into my ring, which caused a trail of the woman's blood to run down my finger. "I have a few questions of my own."

He whimpered.

* * *

"I assume the assassination went without a hitch?" Orochimaru asked.

We were alone. Orochimaru wanted only me to deliver mission reports, saying that the others craved his attention too much and it was annoying.

"The target is dead, Sensei," I replied with a nod.

"And the Sound Four? Did they learn much from their little field trip?"

"I sure hope so, considering the fact that we had to eliminate a squad of Konoha Chunin."

His eyes flickered with something unidentifiable. "Oh? Do elaborate."

"They were on a mission to steal something from the same noble, sensei. They followed me when I left and happened to hear Kidomaru mention your name. They confronted us and we had to kill them afterwards."

"Tsk," Orochimaru clicked his tongue. "How careless. Of both of you."

I averted his eyes. It was partly my fault. I hadn't realized I had been tailed until it was too late.

"And? How did it feel?" he asked. "They were once your former comrades, remember?"

"And yours too, Sensei," I reminded him.

"Ah yes," he said. "And if you recall, I did perform dozens of experiments on them."

I tossed to him a four scrolls, which he caught without a problem. "Two of them are in good enough shape that they might be of use to you. The other two...I suppose you can use them to feed Manda in the future."

"How thoughtful of you, Kagura-kun," Orochimaru said, a smirk building up on his face. "And here I thought you had a soft spot for Konoha-nin."

I kept quiet.

 _Just a few of them._

* * *

If it wasn't going to be an enemy ninja that offed him, then it was sure to be lung disease, Hiruzen surmised, refilling his pipe with tobacco. He ignored Tsunade's subsequent tic of disapproval.

 _Take the hat_ , he'd told her countless times, _and I'll quit smoking._

And yet she was still sitting on the wrong end of the table, so Hiruzen lit it up without any kind of hesitation.

"It's been a year," he said solemnly after taking particularly long puff.

Tsunade broke eye contact.

Jiraiya looked to the ground.

Kushina stared at him with fiery determination, flanked by Itachi and Kakashi, both in their ANBU uniform.

Uchiha Fugaku coughed into his hand. "I've personally supervised the guard around the Naka Shrine. The intruder has not returned since."

Information from Kushina that the perpetrator behind the Kyuubi attack possessed the Sharingan had been troubling to them all. After an extremely detailed interrogation by Inoichi and himself, Hiruzen had ruled out any existing members of the Uchiha Clan. They were now still in the midst of gathering a list of unaccounted clansmen, but Hiruzen knew that the search was far from over.

"Kakashi, did your team find anything yesterday?"

"Another one of Orochimaru's hideouts, on the border between Grass and Fire country. It looked abandoned, just like the one before. I'm guessing that he relocates every three months or so."

A troubling guess, and with so many hideouts, Hiruzen wondered just how long Orochimaru had been planning his defection. "Did you find anything?" he asked.

The silver-haired ANBU captain hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head. Then he pulled out something from his vest, gingerly putting it on his hand before showing everyone else.

A lone flower petal. It was shriveled up, but everybody understood its significance as clear as day. Orochimaru wasn't one to keep flowers in his home, but the same couldn't be said for all his subordinates.

"There's still tiny remnants of chakra in it," Itachi said softly, her Sharingan blazing to life from behind the mask.

"So he's still alive," Jiraiya said neutrally.

Hiruzen noticed Kushina fists clench the hem of her dress. "We have to find him," she all but commanded. "We can still save him."

Nobody said anything after that, even Kakashi, who had unconsciously placed his hand over his abdomen with a small wince.

"He's a traitor," Fugaku said after an uncomfortable silence. "He killed his own comrades."

"He's a child!" Kushina's reaction was as instinctive as it was defensive. "You should have never given him to Orochimaru!"

Hiruzen took another long drag of his pipe. "If I had known that I'd misjudged my former student's character so inaccurately, I would have never done that." He paused. "Then again, I would have done a lot of other things differently. But the fact of the matter is that Karatachi Kagura was seen to have killed at least one ANBU member and injured another."

Kakashi's sharp intake of breath went largely ignored, except by Itachi, whose slight twitch did not go unnoticed by him.

This time Kushina had no response, choosing to look away instead.

"And Orochimaru's seal on Anko?" he asked, trying to change the topic. Karatachi Kagura was a troublesome problem even he didn't know how to approach. "Have you three made any progress on it?"

In unison, both his remaining students and Kushina shook their heads, and Hiruzen felt dismayed that his only potential good news of the day had been denied.

"The seal I placed on the Cursed Seal completely locks it," Tsunade explained. "But it also means that we can't study its mechanism without releasing it."

"But that would result in the Curse continuing to spread over Anko-chan's body," Jiraiya continued. "She already has permanent damage to her chakra system, and we don't want to risk it any further. We also can't come up with another counter-seal because well, all we've got on its details are Tsunade's memories of it, which aren't enough."

"Until we actually get Orochimaru's notes on it..." Kushina said, trailing off. "We've hit a dead-end."

"Is it really that complicated?" Hiruzen asked. His own Fuinjutsu skills were nothing to scoff at, but with the village still recovering from the Kyuubi attack and Orochimaru's betrayal, he simply hadn't the time to take a look at Anko's seal.

Kushina nodded. "It's a tangled mess of useless and contradictory components. Something like a dead knot. Something Orochimaru created without giving any consideration to anything other than its function. Without knowing all the details we might end up killing Anko ourselves. It clearly wasn't a finished product."

"So she'll have to learn to live with it for now," Hiruzen concluded.

At seeing their nods, he sighed. He supposed Anko was a lucky one. Most of Orochimaru's test subjects didn't get the chance to live at all.

"Well then." Hiruzen stood up, signifying the end of the meeting. "I guess there is nothing left to discuss. Kakashi and Itachi, continue to take turns between leading the Hunter-nins and being Kushina's bodyguard. Jiraiya, you may return to the field and start building up your contacts in Kusa and Ame to locate Orochimaru. Fugaku, I expect the list of unaccounted Uchihas to be on my desk by the end of the week."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" they chorused.

"You may leave."

"Hokage-sama?"

He looked up. Only Kushina remained, with Itachi standing behind her like the good bodyguard she was.

"Can I keep the petal?" her gaze turned to the crumpled flower petal Kakashi had found that was still on his table.

He hesitated. He didn't want to keep Kushina's hopes up, but paused when he took another good look at her. Sleepless nights. Lack of appetite. Mood swings. The only thing holding her together was Naruto. Itachi's recent reports had been troubling.

"Take it," he said. The woman had suffered enough as it was.

As Hiruzen sunk into his seat and watched them leave, there was only one thought in his mind as the door closed.

The sight of Itachi pushing Kushina on her wheelchair still burned in his mind.

 _When did things all go so wrong?_

* * *

"Mama!"

It was a little odd how Naruto could detect Kushina's return even before she did, considering how Mikoto was technically still a Jounin. The little blond ball of energy squirmed in her arms, grabbing the air uselessly as he struggled to reach the front door which was yet to open.

Finally, Mikoto heard the sound of a wheelchair being pushed, along with the sounds of Itachi's footsteps. A moment later, the door creaked open.

"Welcome back, Kushina. Naruto's missed you."

She placed the toddler on the ground, who excitedly crawled towards Kushina, standing up and tugging on her knees before Kushina carried him and placed him on her lap.

It was getting dark, but there was still enough light to see the reflection of Kushina's tear stains on her cheeks.

"Bad news?" she asked in concern.

Kushina nodded. "He's still out there, tagging along with that monster."

Mikoto watched her daughter push Kushina up the recently-added ramp next to where she was seated in the living room.

"I still don't understand what happened. If only I hadn't been in a coma, I would have been able to stop him!" The redhead slammed her fists into her lap, and the bubbly baby still on her suddenly became very quiet. "Just what did Kagura see in Orochimaru? What could he offer that I, or the whole of Konoha, couldn't have?" The tear stains became fresh again, and the sheer amount of hurt Kushina conveyed through her words made even Mikoto wince.

"Power."

Mikoto hated how Itachi's voice still seemed to quiver whenever Kagura was brought up. Until now she still couldn't tell which her daughter regretted more; Kagura's defection, or her inability to stop it.

For a while the room went quiet. Young Naruto looked around, and sensing the atmosphere of the room drop by several degrees, began to whimper. Immediately, Kushina enveloped him in a hug, rubbing his tousled hair as she did so. "We could have taught him to be strong too..." she murmured.

"Not as strong as Orochimaru could," Mikoto whispered. It was an unsaid truth, one that everyone knew. No one but Orochimaru could have drawn out the full potential of Karatachi Kagura. It was their personalities and their intellect, almost exactly the same. Anyone who had met them both would have said that Kagura resembled a young Orochimaru. He was the perfect teacher for Kagura.

Too perfect.

Their simultaneous defections proved that.

"But strength isn't everything!" Kushina cried out. "I thought the village had managed to teach him that..." Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "I thought I'd managed to teach him that."

Itachi took off her mask, and Mikoto's heart twinged at the sight of her daughter's completely expressionless face. She was too young for ANBU.

"Sometimes I wonder, did we ever really know the real him?" she wondered out loud. Mikoto stared, slightly shocked, at her daughter. "I mean, he was from Kiri the whole time, right? Was he just looking for an escape route from the very start? Did he just pretend to be one of us so he could live?"

The chakra chain slammed into the ground before Mikoto even had time to react, and she wondered just when she would next see such a blatant look of disbelief on her daughter's face.

"Don't ever think like that again!" Kushina was beyond emotional now. "All those memories you had with Kagura, were they real to you?"

Dumbly, Itachi nodded.

"Then that's all that matters. Don't make up reasons to hate him. The Karatachi Kagura you remember and you knew is the only Karatachi Kagura you need to know!"

"But we're Shinobi," Itachi said gravely. "Deception is part of the job."

Mikoto kept quiet. She knew Kagura of course, but not as well as these two did. This was something she should stay out of.

"It's part of our jobs. But it shouldn't be a part of our _lives_!" Kushina clenched her fists. "Behind that mask of a ninja, do you know who Karatachi Kagura is?"

Itachi was speechless.

"He's a lonely boy. Thrust into war, left for dead by his brother, abandoned by his village. He's human, Itachi, and that's the part of him we have to believe in. Because if we don't, then nobody else will!"

Kushina was panting now; the outburst had taken a lot out of her. Even until now, Mikoto didn't understand why Kushina felt so strongly towards Kagura. What did she see in the boy that no one else did?

Slowly, Itachi's features returned to form her normal, stoic expression. She nodded slowly. "Thank you, Kushina-san. For believing in Kagura."

The smile her redheaded friend gave in return looked almost painful. "I don't have a choice, yeah. Otherwise I'd end up hating everyone I love."

Mikoto found it a little odd how Kushina hugged Naruto as she said it.

* * *

"Anko, maybe we should take a break?" Kurenai suggested, almost pleadingly.

She balled fists tightly. "I can't," she said, trying not to let her exhaustion show. "I need to keep training. I have to keep getting stronger."

"Anko...they're not coming back. It's been a whole year already. They've made their choice."

"Then I'll kick their asses until they change their minds."

"Anko..."

"If you're not going to help me, just go home! I'm fine on my own!"

When Kurenai didn't reply, Anko let out a huff. The other Chunin was starting to get on her nerves anyway. Who was she to talk about Sensei and Kagura anyway? Kurenai had never actually met them! Anko readied another kunai in her hand. The target board was littered with dozens of them already.

The sound of someone sitting down on the grass stopped her.

"I thought I told you to go home," she ground out.

"Yeah, but real friends don't abandon each other."

She lowered her arm.

"Yeah. I guess they don't. Thanks, Kurenai-chan."

That was why she wasn't ever going to give up.

* * *

Just as she put on her mask, there was a knock on her door.

It was Izumi, and Itachi still found it strange that there was now a forehead protector bearing Konoha's symbol where there wasn't just weeks prior.

"You're going on a mission?"

Itachi nodded. A Chunin squad had gone missing in Kusa, but that wasn't something she was allowed to tell her friend.

"You'll keep looking, right? I mean, you haven't given up on him yet, have you?" Izumi said worriedly.

Itachi hesitated for a moment. Then she raised her wrist, displaying the bracelet with a lone Sharingan Tomoe dangling off the chain. An identical bracelet adorned Izumi's own arm.

"I'll find him. I promise. It takes three to make the set, after all."

And according to Kakashi, the last of the three was somewhere around Kusa.

* * *

 _'Humans are replaceable.'_

A necklace with a beautiful gemstone the color of the sea.

 _'All you have to do is find another one with a similar set of traits and qualities.'_

A sleek and elegant hairpin, one hiding a deadly blade within.

 _'Bonds and relationships are overrated. You can always make new ones.'_

Those were some of the first things Orochimaru had said to me ever since we defected.

So far he had yet to be wrong. I had found myself aching during the first few weeks out of Konoha, and the novel feeling of being homesick had gotten in the way of my training. But months later, the constant pain had subsided to become the occasional memory accompanied by a wince. It helped that I'd been kept busy. Between training and helping Orochimaru with a few missions, I'd also been given the task of assisting in training of the first generation of Otogakure Shinobi. The Sound Four looked promising, and Guren and Kimimaro were progressing at a decent pace, though it would be a while before anyone would be an actual challenge to me. Still though, their presences in my life certainly did dull the forlornness I'd felt whenever I thought about Konoha.

Every day, I thought a little less about Kushina, and concern if she ever woke up gradually dissipated.

As my peers improved, my desire to train with Anko or Itachi again weakened and pride at being responsible for their progress took its place.

As Otogakure grew and developed, Konoha slowly vanished into the back of my mind as the concerns of a budding ninja village took priority over my longing for my former home.

It was only a matter of time, I supposed. I'd gotten over Kiri fairly quickly, so Konoha shouldn't be out of question either. Every time we changed bases, I found myself leaving a few previous possessions behind to be incinerated. Old clothes, trinkets, equipment. Remnants of my old life were slowly replaced with my new ones, though my birthday presents from them had yet to receive such treatment.

Souvenirs weren't such a bad thing, and if whatever feelings I still retained ever hindered me in the field, emotional severance was always an option.

"We are beginning a new phase of your training. The mastery you have over your existing techniques is more than adequate already. It is time we begin working on something new." The ex-Sannin seemed excited when I walked into his room.

Training under Orochimaru was fast-paced and comprehensive. I hadn't even used chakra in the first six months. Stealth. Observation. Physical conditioning. Countless other skills and knowledge.

 _'Knowing how to kill someone isn't going to be useful when your mission is infiltration or data gathering. Before you learn to run, you must first learn to walk. Shinobi are not defined by chakra, but instead by their adaptability.'_

The most annoying thing was that he had barely covered any of this when we were in Konoha, but I realized that it was simply because there was little application for it when I was constantly cooped up within village walls. Now that I was on the run from the law and actually doing missions, the importance of such skills, I realized, couldn't be more overstated.

But finally, we were moving on. There were a whole host of things I was eager to begin learning.

Summoning.

More of my Jinchuuriki powers.

Sealing.

Other chakra natures.

Orochimaru pulled out a scroll, and I could feel my heart begin to race.

When he unfurled it across the table between us, there was a moment of confusion on my part.

"A Shogi board?" I asked.

He nodded. "You trained with the Naras, correct?"

"Yes," I replied, still not really understanding.

"Good. Play with me."

My confusion had yet to subside, even as Orochimaru starting setting up the pieces on the board.

"This is good tea by the way," he remarked, his head tilting towards the cup I had placed earlier. "Did you make it yourself?"

"No, it was a souvenir from the last mission," I said, still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of _practicing Shogi_ , of all things, with Orochimaru

"Hmmm...Could you get more?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I suppose I always could."

* * *

 **A/N: Kagura is on the way to reaching 1000 Followers and Favs, help make that dream a reality by clicking the Follow and Favorite button! And as always, do leave a review on your way out!**

 **~Paulzies**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: New Chapter! Not too much action, and alot of dialogue. Do bear with it :/**

 **Do read the A/N at the bottom if you have time!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21:**

"Sensei. You don't know how to play Shogi, do you?"

"No, I don't. I never had a reason to learn." Orochimaru picked up a piece, holding it in front of his face and studying it like it was specimen. "So this is a Gold General. I'm surprised that there are so many different pieces. The Naras make it sound like such a simple game."

"It is," I said while shrugging, "once you learn the basics."

An amused smile spread across his face. "Let's start."

I won the first few games easily, like I expected. Back in Konoha, while I was still training under the Naras, the only person I could never beat was Shikaku. For someone who seemed to have such a lackadaisical attitude to life, the now-head of the Nara Clan was a genuine monster at the game. Even if Orochimaru was considered a genius, it would take him more than a few hours to defeat me.

A thought hit me.

Isn't Orochimaru supposed to be...training me? Looking at my pieces surround his King, I was starting to realize that our roles seemed to have reversed.

"I admit defeat," Orochimaru said distastefully. "Such a fascinating game with so many nuances and strategies. No wonder the Naras like it so much."

"Sensei, how is this training for me?" I asked, hoping my annoyance didn't show. "So far, all we've done so far is teach you Shogi. I don't feel like I've benefited from this."

"Patience is a virtue," Orochimaru said, sipping on his tea. "One more game, and then we'll start the training in earnest."

I narrowed my eyes. "Does it actually have something to do with Shogi? Or did I just teach you the game for nothing?"

Orochimaru shook his head and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "After everything I taught you, don't you feel like you ought to do something in return? Teaching me Shogi seems like a very good deal in exchange for everything you've learned so far."

My words died in my throat. He was right, I supposed, but he could have just asked if he wanted to learn, and not go about such a roundabout way. "I betrayed a village for you," I pointed out.

"That's all well and good, but you've betrayed villages before," he retorted. "Each subsequent betrayal is worth less than the previous. Traitors aren't in very high demand for that reason. Come now, you can start first," he said as he pointed to the board.

With grit teeth, I grudgingly pushed one pawn forward. I wondered what life would have been like if I'd stayed in Konoha. The first few weeks definitely would have been spent in a cell or under house arrest, until it was certain I'd no part to play in Orochimaru's experiments. But with Orochimaru gone and Kushina in a coma, there really wasn't anyone else that could train me. There was Jiraiya, but the man was Konoha's spy master, and probably would have spent most of his time out of village walls—no place for a Jinchuuriki like me.

I made the right choice, I told myself, though I felt my conviction waver when I saw Orochimaru's next move—pushing a corner pawn forward while smiling deviously.

A non-standard response. It wasn't a line I was familiar with, though Shikaku had played it once against me, and I had lost miserably. There was no way Orochimaru could replicate that, could he?

I paused, weighing my options.

Orochimaru pushed the same pawn forward again.

I blinked. "Wait Sensei, I haven't moved yet."

Again, he moved the same piece and I realized he was doing this intentionally.

I immediately pushed another pawn up to defend my undefended pawn.

Orochimaru pushed the exact same pawn.

Naturally, I lost that game.

"You cheated," I said indignantly as I set up the pieces one more.

"No I didn't," Orochimaru said. "I merely changed the rules."

"You can't just change Shogi's rules!" I said hotly. "The game's at least a century old!"

"Then I guess we're not playing Shogi anymore," Orochimaru said smugly. "Come, again."

This time Orochimaru moved his pawn first.

I stared at the board, unsatisfied. Was this his way of getting back at me after losing so many games?

Then he moved his pawn again and I hastily realized that I was wasting time being distracted.

* * *

"A coincidence?" Boar asked.

Itachi frowned. Including her, there were eight of them. Additional members had been given to her since Kusa was Orochimaru's last known location. Eight hunter-nins huddled in a small circle in a clearing far away from the settlement. They had tried to locate the lord whom the missing Chunin Squad had been tasked to steal from, but his demise was something they hadn't foreseen.

By now, they had more or less confirmed that they wouldn't be finding any of the missing members. Not alive, at least.

"The timing's too perfect. He died during the party he was throwing. If I was that Chunin Squad, I would have planned the heist then," she said, shaking her head. "Coincidences don't happen in our line of work."

"I was thinking that too," Bird agreed. "Which also means that if anyone else was on a mission to assassinate the nobleman, they would have done it at the same time."

"Tch. But there's no reason to interfere. Their mission tasks are completely different," someone said.

"We don't know that for sure," Itachi said calmly. "We'll need to do a check if the scroll the Chunins were after is actually still in the house."

"Assassination seems highly unlikely," Rat said. "Witnesses said he choked to death. I can't think of a way to do that."

"Neither can I," Itachi said glumly, "which is why we're going to need to split up tonight."

The team stood at attention.

"Boar and Bird, you two infiltrate the Lord's manor and see if the target scroll is still there."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Rat, Goose, both of you try and acquire the guest list to that party. And then follow through by checking if any of the guests are suspicious."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Lion, Tiger, continue looking around the area. I don't think they could have died without a fight. Try finding evidence of a struggle. Blood, weapons, anything. Be careful though, the assassins might still be in the area."

The two vanished without a word.

"Bear, you're with me. We're going to the graveyard and inspect the corpse to see if it was truly an assassination."

* * *

Orochimaru's new "game" was stupid.

The pieces were the same. The board was the same. In theory, even if Orochimaru was making moves without waiting for me to do so, as long as I moved quick enough and used existing Shogi strategies, I should win.

Except I didn't. I hadn't won once, and it grated me. I even had him in checkmate positions a few times, but he would move his King or block with another one of his pieces before I could deal the killing blow, which was ludicrous.

Checkmate was checkmate.

This was an insult to Shogi. It removed the importance of strategy. Suddenly things like speed and reaction time were more important, almost like it was an actual...

I drew a sharp breath as realization hit me. Almost like it was an actual battle.

"Why Sensei?" I asked. "Why use Shogi? Can't you teach me whatever it is you're trying to teach me in a spar instead of across the board?"

"Ah. It seems you've finally discerned the truth," Orochimaru said, quite pleased with himself. "A board game would be the easiest way to teach this; it's far easier to visualize using pawns and bishops than with shuriken and kunai."

I was almost stunned. "You...you learned Shogi just to teach me this?"

The thought was almost...touching. Orochimaru hated wasting his time. If he was willing to learn the rules of a completely new game and waste hours grasping the fundamentals...then whatever he was going to teach me had to be mightily important.

He shrugged. "I figured I should get something out of this as well. Shogi might be useful for me in the future, when Otagakure gets a little bigger and I actually need to start contacting nobles and administrators for support."

I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but my attention became solely transfixed on the board between us as I replayed all the previous games in my head.

"So...you're teaching me to be a general?" I tilted my head and asked. "I don't see myself leading a Shinobi army in a battle anytime soon though."

Orochimaru chuckled and sipped on more tea. He was really drinking that an alarming rate. "It doesn't have to be a Shinobi army."

"You mean Samurai?...You can't be talking about regular civilians, right?"

"Kagura," his voice carried a hint of impatience, "how many clones can you create already?"

"Slightly more than thirty," I said, finally realizing what he was trying to get at.

"There is a reason why Jinchuuriki are called one-man-armies," Orochimaru drawled out. "Though I suppose even eight clones will suffice."

"That doesn't sound like a very big army," I said. Wouldn't more clones lead to more firepower?

"It's not your clones. Your coral walls can act as defensive pieces. Your Petal Star Jutsu is perfect for herding enemies while your Mist Jutsu is ideal for area denial. You have many abilities and techniques that are well-suited to make situational plays. You haven't really involved yourself in team exercises, so you are unfamiliar with this concept, but the squad-based framework Konoha is famous for is an extension of what I'm trying to teach you."

"Which is?" I asked. I was starting to actually feel excited. It wasn't a new technique or a new branch of ninja arts, but this was far better than that. My chakra reserves far exceeded a Jounin's and my Jutsu repertoire wasn't lacking either. Yet, the last time I had a run-in with a pair of Iwa Jounin, I had barely escaped with my life. Clearly there had been some aspect of my battle sense I was lacking, and I could tell that this was it. "And what does Shogi have to with this?" I added.

"In a War Room, a commander receives information in bulk, and then hands out subsequent orders at one go as well. Shogi is a turn-based strategy game which mimics this situation quite well. But the same can't be said for an actual battlefield. The conditions are always changing, and you don't have time to sit back and think. So in a sense, I suppose you could call this..." Orochimaru paused to think. Then his lips twitched upwards. "Real-time strategy."

* * *

"Captain, isn't this grave-robbing?" Bear asked hesitantly.

Itachi paused.

"We're putting the body back, so I don't think so," she replied.

"That's true," Bear said in agreement. "Data gathering it is."

With the important questions out of the way, Itachi took a step back as Bear activated an Earth Jutsu. Itachi had a few crows in the air to act as lookouts, and just to be sure, she'd even layered a Genjutsu around the area. They were all just extra precautions—she doubted many people would come into the graveyard in the middle of the night anyway.

The freshly dug soil began to rumble and shake, and Itachi thought the sight to look a little like a weak soil eruption which ended up bringing the new and expensive-looking coffin up to the surface. It was much better than the alternative, she thought, glancing at a shovel someone had left nearby, and she lamented not activating her Sharingan and copying Bear's Jutsu while she had the chance.

This was a relatively small town, and there wasn't an embalmer residing within it. Though with nobles, there was always the possibility that they would go out of their way to hire one. Itachi made a quick prayer that the corpse had been left in its natural state before pulling out a kunai to pry open the lid of the coffin.

The putrid stench of rotting flesh was welcoming to her...for a moment. It'd been almost a week since he'd died, and upon peering inside the coffin, she could already make out the wriggling forms of insects and bugs that had made the cadaver their home.

"Bear. Take out the body."

She was going to avoid touching it as much as possible. Which was why she'd brought Bear along. That, and his affinity to Earth Jutsu.

Grumbling, her subordinate did as he was told, lifting the body from its overly-decorated wooden home and placing it on the ground.

"Cut open the neck carefully. I want to inspect his airway."

She had a few suspicions.

There were chemicals that triggered allergic reactions, but those were fairly obvious and she doubted the village doctors were that incompetent. Perhaps it was a poison that mimicked choking symptoms? Then there was always the chance that she'd find a clump of meat still sitting within, confirming the unlikely event that the lord had in reality, choked to death coincidentally.

Until she checked the airway and the rest of the body for foul play, there was no way of knowing.

"Done," Bear said.

Itachi leaned over and ignited a small fire on her finger to illuminate the area. Using her non-burning hand, she started digging around within the slit Bear had cut, hoping to detect anything amiss.

For a moment, her fingers grazed along something that felt differently from rotting human tissue. It felt stuck to the rest of the body, so using a bit of effort, she peeled it out.

"A leaf?" she asked in surprise.

"Oh, I recognize that species. It's used to make tea."

She turned her head to look at Bear, who immediately averted her gaze and began to mumble. "I have...hobbies."

"A tea leaf," she said in disbelief. "He choked on a tea leaf?"

"Maybe there's more," Bear said.

Itachi sighed, and stuck her hand back into the corpse's throat.

She found two more tea leaves before reaching deeper and finding the true culprit, a lump of food that had decomposed too much to accurately determine what is was before consumption.

"So he really choked," Bear said.

Itachi nodded grimly. Perhaps the nobleman's death was a wild goose chase.

"But to swallow three tea leaves... he must have been very thirsty," he continued to say.

Itachi furrowed her brows. Something wasn't adding up. If the tea leaves had gotten stuck in his windpipe, didn't that mean that the nobleman would have choked on his tea first? Could someone have somehow used tea leaves to force the man to choke? That idea was far-fetched. How did someone do something like that? Who could even...

She gasped.

It can't be him, she thought, already activating her Sharingan.

It was faint, but there was residual chakra still within the tea leaves. There was only one person in the world she knew that went around imbuing his chakra into leaves, and conveniently enough, his last known location was somewhere near the border of Kusa.

"Bear, put the body back now."

"You found something, Captain?"

She nodded.

"I have a report I need to send to the Hokage urgently. This is Orochimaru's work."

This is all Orochimaru's fault.

* * *

"Real-time Strategy" was a vague and intangible concept, which made learning it quite difficult. Orochimaru was right—using Shogi as a foundation to learn was definitely useful. It simplified things greatly, and somehow managed to retain the pace of an actual battle.

It was all about creating and spotting opportunities—a matter of who moved first. And yet despite that, I found myself at the losing end almost every game.

"You are quite bad at this," Orochimaru said frankly, during a short break. "At this rate, we'll be stuck at the Shogi Board for a while."

Of course, once I got the grasp of things, our training would escalate to actual physical combat. I resisted the urge to groan. Orochimaru was right. I felt like I hadn't made any progress at all.

"Your foundation is much weaker than I expected," he said, more to himself than to me.

Damn it. This was something I had to learn. According to Orochimaru, understanding this was the key to winning battles where I was against more than one person.

"Oh, I just realized something." Orochimaru was staring at me quite amusedly. "Kagura, you've never actually fought as a team, have you?"

I blinked. "No I haven't," I said, after recalling the past few years. "We only brushed past the topic of teamwork during the Academy."

"That explains it. It's something they only start focusing on during the Genin stage. No wonder you can't seem to get the hang of it," he said, as if he suddenly understood everything.

"I...don't get it." What did teamwork have to do with this? Didn't Orochimaru expect me to fight as a one-man-army in the first place?

He frowned. "Kagura, what are the benefits of having a three-versus-three battle, compared to three individual one-on-one fights?"

"Um...teammates can complement each other's strengths and cover for each other's weaknesses. It adds an extra dimension to the battle, so that everything isn't dependent on technique and stamina." It was a word-for-word repeat of what I'd read in the Academy's textbook, something I supposed made sense.

"Psh." Orochimaru's scoff was obviously derogatory. "That's something a Genin would say. Surely, you'd have a Jounin-worthy answer?"

I racked my brain. But...wasn't that exactly what teamwork was all about? Playing off each other's strengths and weaknesses and executing complicated strategies that would grant an advantage? It was a combat multiplier. When I told this to Orochimaru, he merely rolled his eyes.

"Try again."

I frowned. "Why can't you just tell me already? I have a weak foundation, remember? It's not like I've gotten a lot of opportunities to make teammates..." Considering how much time we'd spent so far, I didn't want to waste anymore.

"The answer is chaos."

His face was smug, like he expected an applause.

"What?"

"Chaos. Disorder. Unpredictability. These are situations that ninjas thrive in."

Orochimaru was onto something...though I wasn't yet sure what. There was something in my brain that simply seemed in awe of his answer but, to be honest, I couldn't figure out why.

"Your answer isn't wrong. But that's teamwork in general. It'll work for Samurai, for ordinary soldiers, even for street brawls. But what is it that makes teamwork so much more advantageous for ninjas?"

"Chaos?" I said uncertainly.

"Exactly. When you add more variables into any system, it becomes more disordered and unpredictable. This is why team training exercises are so important in any organization. The chaos works both ways, to both your allies and your opponents. Team training exercises reduces the chaos on your own end, while aggravating the disorder on your enemy's end. This causes your opponents to make mistakes, which you can then take advantage of."

"I don't understand," I said, puzzled. "Isn't that just normal teamwork?"

"Yes, it is. It's how normal people work as a team. It's how Genin will work as a team. It's also how Chunin who will never make it to Jounin work as a team. They seek to bring order to that chaos by restricting each other with 'fixed roles' and 'set plays'. And that is their biggest mistake, because they end up wasting their time. As ninjas, we are supposed to flourish in the chaos."

There is a fine line between madness and genius, I suddenly recalled reading somewhere. Orochimaru was grinning like crazy, sporting a look of almost pure ecstasy on his face as he continued to explain.

"The best teams work without any communication. This does not come from memorizing positions and strategies, but a thorough understanding of their teammates and sharp battle awareness. Each and every individual instinctively knows what they need to be doing at any given time, and they are uncannily accurate at guessing what their teammates are thinking as well. They are all doing their own thing disrupting the enemy, and yet somehow not getting in each others' ways. And amidst all that chaos, an opportunity will present itself, and whoever is closest will strike. That, by the way, is how we landed our first blow on Hanzo the Salamander. It wasn't me or was it Jiraiya. It was Tsunade, our medic, who had been hanging back the whole fight, only to deliver a solid punch when she saw the chance." Orochimaru looked at me expectantly once he was done talking, no doubt expecting me to respond in some way.

I gulped. A fine line indeed.

"But...isn't that hard?" I asked. "I mean, if beginners and strangers were expected to fight like that...they'd only end up interfering with one another, right?"

"Yes," Orochimaru agreed quite readily, which was unexpected to me. "Which is why only the most experienced ninjas can pull this off. Our flexible fighting styles and squad-based nature of fighting means that this option is viable only to ninjas, and nobody else. That being said, only a selected few will have the awareness and prowess to experience this, while the others will have to go through grueling hours of team exercises to achieve the same effect."

And then I got it. I was a one-man-army.

"Except me," I said as I raised my hands, spinning over a dozen petals above one palm, and creating a small coral structure on the other. "I don't need to worry about such things. I have more chakra than the average Jounin squad. I have a very flexible fighting style, given the many techniques I know. I don't have to worry about other people. I can fight as a team...without actually having a team!"

This...this was genius! It was far better than learning new Jutsu...this was adding a whole new dimension to my fighting style!

"Precisely." Orochimaru's grin looked almost predatory. "You don't need teammates to be strong, Kagura."

* * *

Mission parameters have been updated. Priority is to gather intelligence on Orochimaru and his network and motives. Avoid direct contact.

Itachi read the mission scroll that came from the hawk. She pulled out a chunk of rations from her pouch and fed it to the messenger bird, after which it cawed happily and flew away.

"So even if I do find him, I can't bring him back," she mumbled through grit teeth. This was a golden opportunity to retrieve Kagura—she was closer to finding him than ever before, but the Sandaime had given her explicit instructions not to.

He's playing the long game, she told herself, trying to calm down. Having more intelligence will allow us to plan a separate retrieval mission with a greater chance of success.

But we're giving him time to slip away, another part of her brain thought.

She crushed the paper in her hand.

Orders are orders.

And with that thought, Itachi became completely composed again. She made a small hand signal, and suddenly her seven teammates appeared out of nowhere to surround her, awaiting orders.

"Report."

"The scroll the Chunin squad was instructed to steal is missing, Captain," Boar said.

She nodded her head thoughtfully. Did Orochimaru actually want it? Or had his goal simply been the nobleman's assassination? It was possible the Chunin squad had completed their task successfully, only to meet their end when they'd seen something they shouldn't have. She wouldn't know until she investigated further, but understanding Orochimaru's motives was essential to guessing his next move.

Lion went next. "We've searched an area with a radius of one kilometer around the village. We discovered a suspicious house with fresh splatters of blood. I've collected samples and sealed them away."

Itachi pursed her lips. It would have been best to get confirmation that the four's fate as soon as possible. If the blood really was theirs and there weren't any bodies...she involuntary shuddered when she remembered reading the reports of Orochimaru's horrific experiments.

"Lion, Tiger, return to Konoha at once and get that blood tested."

"Yes, Ma'am!" And then the two were gone.

Rat pulled out a scroll from her pouch. "The guest list, Captain. This includes both staff and invited guests."

Itachi unfurled it open, revealing a list that had to contain over two hundred names.

"Rat, do you know who was in charge of serving the tea?"

* * *

"I win."

Orochimaru leaned back against his chair, looking neither upset nor satisfied. "It seems you have. As usual, you pick things up at a frightening speed."

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally achieved a three-win streak. The games were fast-paced and short-lived, and we had probably played dozens of games before I achieved my first win. "Real-time strategy" was far more complex that I could have imagined. In the end, I had to break it down into three fundamental skills before I could make any real headway into improving.

Skill one: Awareness. Understanding the nature and environment of the fight, as well as the positions of myself and my opponents.

Skill two: Management and control. Utilizing and controlling my resources in the most efficient manner to ensure that I achieve an advantageous position.

Skill three: Disruption. Identifying the opponent's rhythm and then striking at an opportune time to deal a crippling blow.

When I told all this to Orochimaru, he hadn't seemed very impressed.

"Sounds awfully complicated. I just call it having a good battle sense. It's supposed to come naturally as you gain experience, but I suppose if coming up with this framework helps you understand it, I can't fault you."

In other words, I needed to fight more. Which meant having practical lessons with Orochimaru.

"I'm afraid our training ends here today, Kagura. I'm reaching my limit," he said when I brought it up.

I was quite baffled. We'd only played Shogi. How was that remotely tiring for him? Especially considering most of his victories had been easy sweeps.

"Oh, and Kagura, do get more of that tea. I've grown quite fond of it."

And just like that, my teacher vanished into a puff of smoke.

A...clone? All this time I'd been talking to a clone?

I clenched my fist. Granted, I supposed that for a theoretical lesson like this one, there wasn't be much point in him coming to the base in person, but still... I wondered what Orochimaru did in all his hideouts anyway. He had dozens of them, and was always creating new ones, each with a specific purpose.

The current one I was residing in was his "training institute" base, where he sent promising new Oto-nins to train together. I was technically the supervisor of this hideout, but given Guren's bossy nature and the fact that they liked her more than me, she'd taken the mantle of running this place's day-to-day affairs.

I supposed he was just being cautious. It was a given our relationship wouldn't last forever, since I would leave once I felt there wasn't anything left to learn from him, so it made sense that the locations and purposes of his other bases be kept secret from me.

He was a busy man, with who-knew-how-many projects he devoted himself to, so I supposed the fact that he was even keeping track of my progress was already good. In the meantime, he gave me missions to gain field experience and apply new skills, something I doubted I would have gotten much of in Konoha, especially post-defection.

Unfortunately, my current task wasn't as exciting.

As I kept the shogi set, I tried recalling the name of the tea-maker from the party.

Ah yes. Shitori Kanna.

And then I remembered something else. I was going to need to wear makeup again.

I groaned loudly. As if Guren hadn't had enough fun the first time.

* * *

"Shitori Kanna," Itachi read the name plate in front of the house. "You're sure she's the one?"

Bear nodded. "The locals vouched for her. She's been running this business for the past thirty years. It's unlikely she was directly involved in the assassination."

Itachi looked down at herself. She was dressed as a civilian, and was thankful she'd opted to pack some of her own clothes for the mission. The Uchiha were a noble clan after all, making her the perfect choice to act as a prospective customer in front of the tea-maker. Rat and Bear were dressed up as well, pretending to be her bodyguards. They'd done this set-up many times in the past, and quickly fell into the groove.

She slid the door of the shop-house open.

"Oh, another customer so soon?" The woman standing behind the counter looked to be on the thin side, and had a tone of pleasant surprise.

Itachi flashed her a brief and polite smile. "I'm from the Kuga Clan. Are you Shitori-san? I was recommended here by one of my friends. I heard that you grow your own tea leaves?"

The Kuga Clan was an actual clan from Konoha that the Uchihas had dealings with. Itachi had met the clan head a few times, and knew he had a daughter around her age. In the event the woman had actually heard of the Kuga clan, at least the whole charade wouldn't fall apart in seconds.

A happy nod came from the woman. "I do. Would you like a taste?" From under the counter, she pulled up three cups and filled them up with tea from a nearby kettle.

Under normal circumstances, Itachi would have refused. Accepting food and drinks from random strangers was just asking to be poisoned, but she found this the easiest way to get a closer look at the tea leaves the woman used. Graciously, she took the cups and passed one each to Bear and Rat.

A moment after Bear took his cup and studied its contents, he gave her a surreptitious nod.

A perfect match, then.

"I was worried that I might lose customers since the tragedy," the woman suddenly said, "but I can't believe I've actually seen two new faces since." She let out a pleased laugh.

"Tragedy?" Itachi asked, feigning ignorance. "What happened?"

"Oh, the host of the party I was last asked to serve at choked on his food and died in the middle of it. Horrible luck, honestly." Shitori Kanna shook her head. "May he rest in peace."

"That does sound rather unfortunate," Itachi said, continuing the small talk. "Did your other new customer come here because of it?"

"Surprisingly, yes!" She nodded excitedly. "And that little girl liked the tea so much she bought a bag of it during the party itself! I never expected her to come back though."

Itachi felt her hopes drop. So it was a girl, wiping out a possible lead. Of course, it would have been silly for Kagura to return. Why would he, when he'd finished the job already?

"Such a confident little thing," Shitori said blissfully. "The way she carried herself and talked to me. She'll grow up to be a fine lady one day. Must have come from a rich family. And she wore the most interesting bracelet too!"

"Oh?" Itachi pretended to be interested. In her mind, she was thinking of a way to politely ask the woman if she'd seen anything suspicious or of a boy resembling Kagura's appearance at the party. "Do describe it."

"It didn't look very expensive, unlike the rest of what she wore. I've never seen anything like it! There was a weird shape on it...it looked like a comma. We were just making conversation while I was preparing the leaves and when I asked her about it, she said it was a gift from a precious friend. I can draw it out for, if you'd like."

Itachi froze. A bracelet with a comma-shaped object on it? A gift from a friend? It couldn't be.

"Please do," she said softly, barely above a whisper.

It took a moment for Shitori Kanna to finish drawing, but Itachi felt her heart skip a beat when she saw it. From a pouch she was carrying, she pulled out her own bracelet, identical to both Izumi's and Kagura's.

"Did...did it look something like this?" she asked, showing it to the tea-maker.

"Why, they're exactly the same!" the woman exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're that friend that just gave it to her! Oh, but she just left a few minutes ago! If you go now, you might be able to catch up to her and say hello!"

"I think I'll do just that," Itachi said, politely smiling externally but internally resisting the urge to burst out the door in a sprint. "Thank you for telling me."

The moment she stepped out the door of the shop, she turned into a dark alley and immediately summoned several crows.

The other four teammates dropped from the rooftops.

"Young girl, wearing expensive clothes. Should be carrying some kind of bag or pouch to fit the tea leaves she just bought." Itachi struggled to keep her voice firm.

"Find her."

* * *

Sight.

Hearing.

Scent.

Taste.

Touch.

In order of importance, these were how the five senses were ranked when it came to tracking.

Or being tracked, for that matter.

Unless there was a literal army after me, the last sense was irrelevant, because detecting ground tremors from possible pursuers was simply out of question.

Orochimaru hadn't even brought up the possibility of me signing the snake contract, so I wouldn't be able to have his and Anko's ability to taste the air, striking out the two above it as well.

Which left only sight and hearing.

It was difficult and suspicious to keep looking backwards to detect pursuers, so for the person being followed, unless they had specialized senses, their ears would be their best friend.

But ears weren't useful in human environments like cities and villages, and really good ninjas could hide their footfalls easily. So Orochimaru had me devise another method a long time ago to detect if anyone was following me. It wouldn't be good if I led someone to our base after all, so this had been one of the first things he'd forced me to do.

"When you create your mist, you can detect the presence of everyone inside, right? Your chakra in the mist acts as receptors and passes on the information to you. So you need a way to replicate that ability using the Petal Star Jutsu as well."

The problem was, of course, doing it discretely. In towns and human settlements, I would use several of the shards in my ring. One or two on the rooftops above me, and three or four behind me at regularly-spaced intervals. But in wooded areas like these, the whole forest was potentially my eyes.

So when a presence far too large to be a bird brushed past one of my planted leaves on a tree nearly fifty meters behind me, I inwardly cursed. I was wearing fancy clothes, and they would restrict my movement in battle. If necessary, I could strip and fight in my underwear, but that was something I would rather avoid doing if I didn't have to.

For now, what was more important was getting more information on my pursuers.

How did they know?

I continued walking, giving no outward signs that I'd noticed their presence. An extremely thin chakra thread—another skill Orochimaru had taught me—emerged out from my finger tip, elongating until it was the length of my arm. I had time—Orochimaru's base was at least another half hour away—though I should probably make a few wrong turns just in case.

I stuck to the edge of the path, and every time I walked past a tree, I would latch my chakra thread onto it, and transfer enough chakra to imbue a dozen or so leaves. The amount had to be small, otherwise any chakra-sensors would be able to detect the fluctuation even from that far.

I continued to walk.

One.

Two.

Three.

...Four.

Five.

...Six.

After a while, it became clear there weren't anymore.

This was bad. I was outnumbered. From their speed and coordination, they were highly trained as well.

This was very bad. Escape was possible—performing the Kirigakure no Jutsu and creating more than ten shadow clones would definitely allow me to gain enough breathing room to run away. But there was always the possibility that they got lucky and followed me instead of a clone.

Still though, we were already all alone. There wasn't anyone else in this part of the forest, as far as I could tell. If they wanted to act, they could have already.

So their goal was just data gathering?

In that case...

I gulped as I came to a halt.

"Come out," I said loudly. "I already know that the six of you are there."

It was time to see just how much "Real-time strategy" had improved my capabilities.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi guys. For those who are truly dedicated to reading the Unlucky Twin, I have a small favor to ask you. Recently, to mark the twentieth chapter of this fic, I re-read the whole story. When I was done, I found myself at quite a loss.**

 **Unlike many of my other fics, I wrote this story with a very grand and elaborate plan in mind, and I've been following that plan this whole time. But somewhere in the process, I realized after re-reading all this...that the Kagura I've written is slightly different from the Kagura that I envisioned. When you compare my writing from the first few chapters to what it is now, you can tell that Kagura has obviously changed a lot. I never truly intended for this to happen so quickly.**

 **As the author of this fic, I don't know how to feel about this development. Which is where the favor comes in. This may take up quite alot of our time, but if possible, can you please re-read the Unlucky Twin, and tell me, from an overall perspective, how you feel things have changed, from my writing style, to Kagura's character, etc, etc.**

 **Of course, most you have lives outside of fanfiction, in which case a normal review will suffice. But for those of you who are as deeply invested in Kagura as I am, I will greatly appreciate it if you could help me and tell me your thoughts in a review or a PM if you're shy.**

 **As always, favs and follows are loved!**

 **~Paulzies**


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